Be Careful What You Wish For
by movielover01
Summary: Why did this happen to me? What had I done to deserve this? Was I stuck here forever? I didn't have an answer to these questions but I did know that I was alone, miserable, and very much lost. Based on the Aladdin Musical Spectacular. GeniexOC story with lots of friendship, family, and good 'ole fashion adventure. R&R.
1. Chapter 1

** AH! The dreaded Author note! I know I know I hate them to but just hang on and go with it here. I very rarely if ever make author notes so this one is very important! This is a rewrite of the previous version that I named Wishes of the Heart. It had been lazy I admit so I'm rewriting it and making it the best I can. I promise. In case you didn't read the description, if you haven't you should, this is based on the Aladdin Musical Spectacular that is, or was I guess they're moving a new musical in, playing at the Hyperion theater in California Adventure Disneyland park. I love the musical and I really wanted to make a story like this for it. I want to give credits to the actors since there are so many different actors in the production. These are my personal favorites if you like other actors better than the one I chose I get that and it's totally fine. Aladdin is Eric Ronquillo, Jasmine is Juliana Hansen, Genie is Russ Marchand, and Carpet is Kristina-Marie Lampino. Iago is a pick and choose deal, you can pick whichever Iago you like the best for this story.**

** I did draw the cover myself, took me freakin FOREVER to draw. Sorry about the droopy quality I'll try to get a better picture late but my camera is just not cooperating with me. This will be a three part, maybe four parts depending how this goes, and although it's based on the musical I'll keep the other movies and the series in it to. There will just be little tweaks and changes here and there to match up with the musical. The musical was based on the movie to so it's not like I'm really far from the source material. I will be taking request for the story on later chapters. If you have an idea please share it with me and I might include it in the story for a chapter or a moment. I hope all of you enjoy this story and thank you for viewing it and leave a review telling me how you feel about it.**

**A bigger view of the cover can be seen here: art/Be-Careful-What-You-Wish-For-397759558.**


	2. Calling BS

**I don't own Aladdin: the original tale, the movie, or the theater productions. All rights for the movie and play go to Disney and the legend goes to its respected owner. I only own Sid.**

**A/N: This is a rewrite of my earlier story since I wasn't happy with it at all and I will put much more effort into this one though it won't be updated nearly as quickly as the last one. Hope you all enjoy it.**

"Would you look at this place," I remember my friend Belle had gushed as she twirled causing her curls of chocolate brown hair to bounce gracefully around her cheeks gazing at the interior of the Hyperion Theater with those sparkling green eyes she had.

My other friend Natasha who had been shuffling next to me with her arms crossed defiantly over her chest a grimace on her round and pretty pale face, huffed in reply blowing the swooped bangs of her dyed black hair out from her vision and turned to glare at the seats next to us. I had glared at the long mound of black hair for a second with tight lips then turned to my excited friend with a smile.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice. Not as big and magnificent as the Phantom of the Opera stage back in Vegas though! Man that was amazing!"

Natalie had given me a mock glare and replied, "Well, _I_ didn't see that show so this one is the most magnificent to me so shut it about The Phantom!"

I had laughed a bit at the comment and shrugged, "Are you still sore about how I couldn't get you a ticket."

Belle was silent a moment then a soft but giggling yes erupted from her and I had lightly shoved her in a playful manner giggling. Natasha was still sulking in the corner over having to sit through this over hitting the California Screaming or Mickey's Fun Wheel and I had frankly become annoyed very quickly. I admittedly would have liked to ride California Screaming instead of seeing the play but Belle had been dying to see it all day and I had always been a fence sitter in what activity we would do next and since Belle had been so excited I voted to see the Aladdin musical and Natasha was not happy.

We were there in California Adventure for Grad Night at our High School. The twist to this was that we were sophomores. A few of the seniors wouldn't bite at the event and my friends had begged me to buy a ticket for one of the free spots and I relented and off we went off to Grad Night with the seniors to have a good time. For the most part it was a ton of fun. We hit the Disney Park first then hit California Adventure the next day, we hung out with a few seniors we were familiar with and met a few other new people. All in all I had been glad I had purchased the ticket. The only thing that had been unpleasant during the trip up to that point was I had to sleep in the hotel bathtub because my bed hadn't been cleaned yet and I refused to sleep on it, no matter how long my friends teased me.

"Come on Tasha, it's an hour out of your life. You'll live, just try to enjoy it."

I had glazed the comment with sugar so I wouldn't get her upset and Natasha had just muttered in response to me.

We had been the first into the theater thanks to Belle dragging me and Tasha down to the theater entrance an hour before it started leaving us to stand in front of the entrance munching on our snacks that we bought earlier from the venders along our travels in the park. This had steamed Tasha even more and she had been practically ripping her laughy taffy apart with each bite in line. Belle caught site of three front row seats in her search that the V.I.P's hadn't already taken and we rushed over and plunked down into them. Nobody said anything so we kept quiet and enjoyed the show. I found myself enjoying it very much. It was energetic the acting was enjoyable the timing for the actions were very good, it was a very good play. Considering I was going to study theater in college the show had been very interesting, and even a tad inspirating, for me.

Belle had been having a ball laughing and smiling like the little kid she was at heart. Even Tasha had come out of her dampening mood and was laughing at the jokes and had relaxed contently into her chair. Of course during the show my friends took every chance they could at embarrassing me because I was too easy to embarrass. I think the only reasons my friends did it to me because they knew I didn't, and to this day don't, take things to heart but it got irritating when I became their only victim but back to the story. I had been enjoying the Genie's comedy routine especially during the show and being the very open person I was and still, to my sometimes great displeasure, still am my friends caught on quickly.

The crowd that was seated in the audience that day had been relatively dead and my friends were not having any of that. They were screaming and clapping like they were insane while the others in the theater clapped politely and constantly the actors were looking at us smiling and jokes from Genie more often than not were directed at us or our particular area. Then came the Segway between Aladdin taking carpet for his meeting with Jasmine and Jafar's discovery of Genie. He turned to the audience with a grin and Tasha let out an incredibly loud cat call. From the actor playing Genie's view from the stage coupled with the fact I was staring right at him still smiling from his earlier joke he thought it came from me. He looked me in the eye and puckered his lips and pulled his jacket over his exposed peck and waggled his finger at me.

I blushed and looked away more embarrassed than up till that point I had ever been, my friends had been laughing their heads off next to me, and even the Genie was slightly chuckling. The play went on after and I brushed off the embarrassment and watched the play. When the climax of the play hit, all went crazy. To be a bit more specific when Jafar transformed into a snake a.k.a the giant snake puppet is when shit went down. First the lights went berserk. Every last stage light lit and began to shake into the audience and the audience roared in disapproval. Then the puppet Jafar began to quiver violently then leaned to the side and Jafar who was on the harness was pulled into the air prematurely and swung across the stage. The audience roared with panic at the mix of the actor's fright, confusion, and the light being shone in their faces.

When the theater shook everyone lost their minds and it became a life and death situation. Everyone made for the doors like the building was on fire. My friends and I had been frozen with shock at the sudden turn of events but once the audience scrambled Tasha and Belle sprung from their seats grabbing my arms and yanking me out of mine and we ran for the exit. At the height of the frenzy when the shaking became so bad it seemed the building would come down the lights went out. At the time I thought I may never hear again from the volume the people were screaming with. Panic set in as the other occupants bunched my friends and me together easily tossing us back and forth in the crowd. Then the force of the crowd wrenched my hands from my friend's and I remember clawing desperately at air in a feeble attempt to find their hands again.

In a last desperate attempt to escape the crowd I ducked to the floor wrapping my hands around the back of my neck and I clenched my eyes shut hoping the crowd would get out quick. My plan was to wait until the insane crowd left the building then run for the exit myself. I figured I would have a better chance of surviving if I waited and didn't become a part of the crowd on a rampage. Thinking back on it now I admire the choice I made because I have learned that it is always better to think logically and get away from the crowd especially in a panicked mob setting like that, but many times I sit and wonder what would have happened if I had followed the crowd out. What _did_ happen was as I felt the last person kick and shove past me was when I heard the frightening sound of the ceiling shaking, I chose to keep my eyes shut so I wouldn't see it coming.

But as I know now it never came. I waited cowering with my eyes clenched shut for the ceiling to fall and crush me but instead I felt the strangest sensation fill me, what now I can describe as a warm tingling that seemed to spread my muscles apart almost how a massage loosens the muscles, then a violent shake that threw me into something soft. I remember being so shocked that I took a deep breath that sucked in sand instead of air and I forced my eyes open only to have sand thrown in them. Needless to say I had not been expecting that and I heaved, spluttered, and coughed as I scraped the sand that had turned thick and sludgy from my tongue while I tried to scratch the sand from my eyes while I screeched from the stinging pain at the same time.

It took some time before I scraped every last grain of sand from my mouth and eyes and after trying to see was a painful affair but I forced my eyes to operate properly and I looked around. It is difficult to portray my feelings at that moment because it wasn't clear to me at the time and even now it's hard to say how many feelings I felt. The first I suppose was disbelief because when I looked up there was nothing but Desert. Yellow dunes of carved rolling sand that after years I relate to craters meteors make in the earth when they hit. In that days burning sun they looked almost gold and they looked almost like pottery; as if the sand would shatter into pieces if disrupted instead of falling around the object that stood on its shape. I was at a loss of words. My mouth was hanging from its hinges and my eyes, that had still been stinging, must have been as wide as plates and it only made the stinging worse.

I had cursed and rubbed my eyes furiously willing the stinging to go away and I half hoped that the desert scene would disappear and leave me back in a crumbling theater close to death being crushed underneath piles of concrete and rubble. I was not granted such an easy way out when I opened my eyes I was where I had been before. Sitting on a sand dune in the middle of a Desert of golden sand that seemed to stretch on forever. The next feeling was probably curiosity. I scooped a handful of warm sand into my hands and watched almost entranced with the sparkling gold grains as they slipped through my fingers back to the ground.

I remember thinking that the sand felt almost alive in my palm because of the warmth in the sand but it was a thought that crossed my mind only or a second to entertain the more childish and imaginative part of my mind. Then I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of panic. Out of pure instinct I shouted out as loud as my lungs would allow in the hopes that someone would find me. No one did. I remember sitting in the sand a while thinking, close to tears, feeling lost and desperate to find help. I don't know what I would have done if the Arabian sun had been kind and half as hot that day, I think I probably would have sat in the sand lost and thinking about everything bad that could happen to me or what had happened to get me there in the first place.

But what happened in reality was in a nutshell it was the Arabian Desert and as such it was boiling hot. I hadn't been wearing summer clothes that day let alone clothes fit for a trek in the desert. The day's weather in Disneyland had been chilly at best so I wore a pair of blue jeans, my treasured converse that to this day I miss that I had worn so many times the outside plastic white trimming was coming off, several little holes had torn into the black of the shoe, and the white plastic was covered in scratched and black streaks from slides on tar roads. Then I wore my baggy black shirt that held the logo of the gym my grandmother worked at then my loose boy jacket with the zebra print inside the hood.

That had been the first strike against my survival there because it didn't take long for the heat to seep into my clothes and heat them up like a heating blanket. The sun itself burned my skin and I remember sweating profusely and panting like a dog in the summertime. Plus the sand underneath me was burning hot and I became real uncomfortable real fast. I knew right there as I fanned the collar of my t-shirt on my face and slipped off my jacket and tied it around me waist that if I didn't find civilization soon I was screwed. So I walked. I walked and walked and walked… After what I know determine was about an hour I was sure I had been walking forever. I was miserably hot, my skin every single inch of it had been completely drenched with sweat, some of my clothes had gone damp with my own sweat making the fabric cling to my skin causing a unbearable friction, my head had gone lightheaded, and I remember having a sick nauseating feeling in my stomach and having bile rising from the back of my throat frequently.

I knew I was becoming dehydrated. I had never suffered from dehydration at that level but I had suffered dehydration from my own irresponsible move of drinking soda instead of water on a fishing trip with the family the summer before. The longer I trekked the slower and heavier my steps became and I began thinking of ways to avoid a heat stroke and death. I remembered about a story of a father and daughter that buried themselves in the sand to stay cool but this sand was as boiling hot as the air and it would only speed up my demise. So I kept walking. When I finally spotted a tiny dot in the shimmering air I thought I was going loopy and seeing a mirage. So hopelessly and pessimistically I walked closer to it and the closer I walked the larger and more detailed the dot became.

First I remember the dot widening and I could make out the size of the huge city then the details came into focus: the pedestrians walking; women with veils and large poncho looking clothing covering them head to toe only showing their eyes, other women dressed in large baggy pants of all arrays of bright colors and slips of highly decorated slips of fabric covering their chests, men wearing fez's and turbans most of them with thick beards, the older gentlemen wearing thick articles of the same poncho looking clothes with bands of plain neutral colors, the younger men usually shirtless with vests and the same baggy pants. The houses and stands of the market were very…old country fashion large wooden counters with large bright colored canopies over them shielding the vendors from the brutal heat, the woman carried weaved baskets filled with the goods they had purchased for the day their children chasing their feet laughing, the houses looked to have been modeled in clay with large hunks of wood sprouting from the very tops of the buildings. If I had not been about to fall over from dehydration then I probably would have stared and gawked but since I was about to pass out from lack of water I looked for the nearest water source I could find.

Close to the entrance of the city an elderly man wearing the usual turban poncho getup with a thick beard that reached for his slightly pudgy belly was tending to his camels leading them to a drinking trough filled with water. Animal trough or not it was water and I ran like a pack of wild wolves were chasing after me and completely dunked my head into the water sucking in as much as I could. I remember the water tasted sour but it was oh so refreshing and cool on my burnt skin that all I could feel was relief. If it wasn't for the elderly man pulling me from the trough I probably would have sat there and drowned happily in the cool water.

I gasped in the burning air and my soaked hair flipped behind me and hit my back with a wet slap. I wiped my eyes and looked to the old man. He looked more worried than amused although I detected quite a bit of amusement and he patted my back in a gentle like way and said, "Are you alright my child?"

I nodded and spluttered a bit on the water that had gotten trapped in my nose.

"You are not from here I can easily tell. Did you get lost in the desert by chance?"

I nodded and wiped my eyes tiredly and stood up. The man was about my height and as I stood and wobbled he kept a steady hand on my back.

"Drinking from the trough is not the best choice, my child. Go to the vendor on the corner and buy yourself some fresh water," the man said with a fatherly smile and dropped a few silver coins into my hand.

I smiled graciously to him and thanked him a million times as I ran to the vendor at the corner. A barrel of crystalline water was inside with a ladle lying on the counter. I slammed the coins down and panted, "Water…please…"

The man who was much younger and much more fat than the old man who had given the coins to me laughed and handed me the ladle, "ten ladles full."

I snatched the ladle and gulped the water greedily gulping for air when I was finished.

"Thank you."

I handed him back the ladle and turned feeling much better but still dizzy and wobbly in the knees. My vision sharpened and I was aware immediately of the strange almost frightened looks of the pedestrians. That feeling of stage fright or when your suddenly at the center of a crowd for the wrong reasons, that feeling bubbled in my stomach and I slowly and awkwardly attempt to shuffle my way out of the crowd and go and try to find a pay phone. I didn't know how the hell I got here but I was sure even here they must have at the very least one payphone for tourists. That venture was quickly cut short by a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties stepping out in front of me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm…going to find a payphone…"

The man raised an eyebrow and his little group of other middle age men most of them shirtless wearing fez's and having combed black beards, standing behind him a little ways away begun to chuckle and murmur giving me judging looks.

"I don't know what your…payphone…is but you aren't going anywhere but the palace dungeon.

"What," I shrieked in protest causing a good number of people to stop in the middle of the path and stare, "I didn't do anything!"

The man face darkened and he stepped forward ominously and I stepped back defensively.

"You are a foreigner who obviously has no respect for our customs. What is this," He said disgusted pulling at my jacket hood at my waist. I quickly wretched it from his grasp earning gasps from women near me that drew my attention and confused me.

"It's my jacket. I am deeply sorry for the way I am dressed," I said backing away only to have the man follow me, "all I am trying to do is find a way back home. So, I'll be on my way and out of your hair."

I took the chance and tried to run but the man was quicker and much stronger than I was then and he took an iron grip on my wrist and wretched me back to him holding my arm up painfully. I clawed at his hand and kicked and struggled and even screamed for help but nobody helped me and the man's friends merely laughed at me.

"Don't you know what the law permits men like me to do to foreigners who parade themselves like harlots on the streets hmm?"

"What," I growled out having no idea at the time what this man's problem was but I was scared for my life.

"Those who do are free to be handled in any way. After were done you may be praying for me to call the palace guards," the man spoke in slimy tones his arm slithered out and he grabbed my hip. My heart pounded I had never been so frightened and in retaliation I bent my knee and rammed it as hard as I possibly could where the sun don't shine. The man howled in pain and doubled over giving me a perfect aim for his head which I took without hesitation. I kneed the man in the head and he fell to the ground. His men sprung after me but I was much faster than them thank god and it looked like I was going to escape until turning a corner I ran into something.

I hit the ground hard and my head pounded with pain and if you've ever hit your head against something really hard you know the feeling of pressure and throbbing that comes with it. My hand flew to my temple and tenderly rubbed and I looked up to see what I had hit trying to stand up so I could run from the men. My heart hit the ground with dread when I saw that I had run into another gang of very…official lookin men. They were wearing white turbans with small but bright red jewels encrusted into the fabric of a black streak going along the turbans, they were bare-chested except for their bronze vests with gold lining that tucked into their baggy white pants with wine red bands that tucked into their white pointy boots, each of them had a sheathed sword hanging from their waist. The man I had run into was very dark skinned and had a very well-trimmed beard looking at me with curious shock.

Seeing that they were armed and the impending doom brought by the shouts of the angry men coming quickly up behind me I cowered behind the man I had run into just as the men turned the corner and saw me. They stopped briefly in shock but the leader narrowed his eyes at me and I sunk my head a bit lower behind the armed man in fear and he stomped up to the guard.

"What is the meaning of this," the guard roared his arms crossed firmly over his muscled chest.

The man from before bowed and wiped the blood from his nose, I smiled behind the armed man's back, and the other man glared at me with eyes burning like hot coals, "Honored guard, that little tramp assaulted me in the middle of the market!"

The guard grabbed my arm roughly dragging me in front of him.

"Is this true?"

"No," I shouted with all the gusto I could, "It was just self-defense. He attacked me first and I tried to escape!"

The guard turned to the man who gave me another glare and looked back to the guard trying to put on the most justified and civilized face he could, "Look at how she is dressed! She is violating dress codes of Agrabah! She should be arrested!"

The guard turned to me his eyes slowly drooping into a glare and I shook my head miserably, "Please, I didn't know! I don't even know where I am! I am just trying to get home!"

I was nearly close to tears but I kept them in best I could and tried not to cry and not to look like a sniveling coward. The guard looked back and forth between us then snapped his fingers and the guards drew their weapons and surrounded the gang. The leader spluttered out in disbelief, "But…she…"

"_She _obviously knew not of the rules and I will make sure she remembers them. Let this be a warning for both of you," the guard said drawing his sword and pointing it to my neck making me shiver in fear.

"You will abide to the rules of Agrabah and you will respect them," I nodded my head violently in response making the throbbing that had softened to a dull ache come back with a vengeance. Then he turned to the gang leader, "If I catch you trying to assault this or any other woman you will be executed. Am I clear?"

The man shook his head as did his men and the guard wave his hand and they scurried off like rats. Then he turned to me and I let out the breath I had been holding with a small chuckle and looked up at the guard in relief, "Oh thank you! For a second I thought I was going to be killed!"

The guards laughed and I remember the sinking feeling of uncertainty in my stomach when their laughs sounded so malicious. Then the guard grabbed my arm roughly while another guard grabbed the other one and pulled me roughly across the streets.

"Hey! Wha-! What are you doing! I thought you said you were giving me a warning!"

"This is your warning," he replied gruffly with a rough pull of my arm, "You must learn the rules and you're lucky you will be getting these new clothes for no price."

"New clothes," I stuttered out. I remembered I felt so enraged but fearful at the same time being handled so roughly with no respect but they obviously weren't against killing people so I kept quiet in fear of losing a limb. They dragged me through the seemingly maze like streets citizens scrambling out of the way when we passed, by the time I made it to the destination I was dizzy from the amounts of turns we made.

The guards shoved me in and I remember being very uncomfortable. I remember recognizing very quickly it was a clothing designer store due to the countless articles of clothing on display. The seamstress, a graying and sour looking woman, was in front of a spinning wheel turning wool into thin yarn. She looked at me and her eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets.

"What in Allah's name is this!?"

"This," the guard said shaking me roughly, "needs new clothes."

The woman shook her heads in almost disgust that made me boil with shame and anger and turned away from her wheel and walked into a deeper part of the house. She came back with very humble clothes in her arms that she seemed to be disgusted with even holding and shoved them into my arms.

"There you are. Ugly old things…" the woman muttered as she sat back down at her wheel.

I stood there extremely uncomfortable and the guards pushed me forward and all stared at me expectantly.

"What?"

"Are you stupid girl? Put them on!"

"In front of you," I said with horror.

They laughed maliciously and my cheeks burned with shame.

"Who do you think you are the princess?! Put them on girl before I put them on for ya!"

The men erupted into laughter and at that point in my life I had never felt such shame and embarrassment. But I did as they asked and tried my best to picture the girl's locker room at school to ease my troubled mind. It worked…on some level. I had kept my eyes glued shut except when I needed to open them to see how to slip the clothes on. The outfit was even more humbling on the person. It had countless holes in the baggy ends of it; it was covered in stains that I had no intention of finding out their origin or species, it was a hideous bright Barnie purple to top it off, and the top strip covering my breast was flimsy with no sleeves and also had a few small holes that I feared would rip into larger ones.

When I finished changing I was glaring angrily at the floor. But my fuming was cut short when the guards grabbed me by my arms, which to this day I HATE with a passion, and threw me into the sand. I coughed and spit as more sand filled my throat and eyes and the guards only laughed at my expense. I turned and glared at them feeling hatred but also a small twinge of betrayal. Then they showed me my clothes including my beloved converse and slashed them into ribbons with their swords with me gasping in horror and reaching my hands out for my poor clothes. They tossed them into the garbage basket at the front of the house and my heart fell for the millionth time that day and it wasn't the last time.

"Don't let us catch you again girl! We won't be so sweet with you the next time! Welcome to Agrabah!"

Then they left their cruel laughter echoing in my ears. I couldn't believe it! They had treated me like a criminal! Like a common…whore off the streets! It was injustice! It was cruel! They couldn't do that! I wanted to get up find a rock and throw it so hard at the guard that his skull would crack in two and as I turned with watering eyes at them walking away I almost erupted into a long string of angry curses; but, I was reminded of the times when I was angry at my parents and yelling only made it worse. So I stood and clenched my fists together spluttering and growling and muttering angrily under my breath and I stomped angrily like a child having a fit and swung my fists around and all I wanted to do was scream until my throat was aching and sore. But I didn't.

Tiredly, wanting to cry, I let my body, exhausted from anger, slouch and slowly walked off into the city. I had never felt so confused, angry, and weak in my life before then. I had been bruised, abused, treated like a criminal when I had been completely innocent, nearly killed in a theater accident, then ended up in some third world country I had no idea about. Except that it was called Agrabah. I remember freezing with the force of the realization. It was probably the biggest epiphany I have ever had. Granted, I realize now that I should have realized way, way earlier but with everything that happened my mind had been busy.

It was one of those things where the mind just shuts down from the effort and stress of trying to solve a problem that has no conceivable answer. That is precisely what happened to me. All of the faces that I hadn't paid particular attention to looked familiar because I saw it on stage just an hour ago. But what could I do? I couldn't start screaming out in confusion unless I wanted to be thrown into wherever the loony people were thrown in Agrabah and I had a hunch that it wasn't a good place. I couldn't just stand there and risk another attacker coming and taking me away. So I walked in a trance like state feeling as if my whole life had just become surreal central.

I remember walking for hours until it the hot sun finally fell and my skin, which later that night I found was extremely sunburned, finally had relief. The city seemed to turn into a much different more eerie but peaceful place when the sun sunk under the dunes. The streets were near empty the only people left on the streets were the occasional homeless that seemed to be hanging on the brink of death some of them I thought might have actually been dead and no one had bothered to bury them due to the smell and buzzing flies landing on them. Long shadows were cast over the empty streets and when the moon finally rose the way the buildings were set up casts the moonbeams in such a way everything was illuminated.

I remember looking up into the sky when the sun was setting and staring at the gorgeous purple hue and thinking that if I had seen this back home I would have been captivated. At the time, I looked down and kept walking. Eventually I walked to a section of the city where everything looked old and ruined. Tapestries once bright were dull and ripped and were limp against the cracking clay of the crumbling houses. The little people I found turned into no people at all and I realized this must have been the ghost part of town where no one lived. Perfect human interaction was the last thing I wanted.

I went on a halfhearted exploration of the houses and I found one right in the middle of the labyrinth that for whatever reason stuck out to me. To reach it was an obstacle in itself. It was the tallest of all of them but due to the labyrinth it was hidden well. The staircases that led up into the higher rooms were destroyed and crumbling so I had to find other ways up. On the ground floor a ladder was set up under a hole and once I crawled up it led into the next room. Then I had to climb out the window and climb the wooden trunks of wood built into the clay earning me scratches and quite a few splinters. Then I had to hop onto the next level earning more scratches and bruises then from there I climbed a ladder that had been set there having a near heart attack when one of the rungs gave out and hopped into the small doorway of the very last level.

Inside was an abandoned room. Ripped tapestries cracked pottery was everywhere mostly swept off to the side and a tiny set of stairs led to a ripped curtain of violet cloth. Moving it out of the way I could see almost the entire city of Agrabah including the palace through the window. The first time I saw it I stood enjoying the view and how beautiful it was and I had the sense of almost importance and the feeling of huge size that came with being able to see everything as if I was above the city. Reality came a knocking soon after ruining the feeling and I slumped against the stone wall and slid to the harsh stone floor. I didn't sleep that night or the night after, too many thoughts were jumbled into my head for me to even think about sleep.

Why did this happen to me? What had I done to deserve this? Was I stuck here forever? Or would I wake up into my cozy bed in my structurally sound house with my parents and brother with the school bus with my friends waiting for me the next day? I remember thinking with a sneer about all the fan fictions I had read on my laptop that talked about how amazing it was to be transported into the world of your favorite movies. Well, I called BS. Then I thought of all the times when even for a second I thought it was a cool idea to. Tired, hungry, alone, bruised, I crossed my arms over my drawn up knees and wept. I learned that day and every day after that what they say is true; "Be careful what you wish for."


	3. Les Miserables

**I don't own Aladdin: the musical, movie, or original legend. I only own Sid.**

What followed was easily the darkest point in my life and it changed me, even now after years of healing I am still a tad different with the knowledge of what it was like to live completely alone, barely alive, and barely scraping by, to be at the absolute bottom of the poverty line; a rat. I had been a sophomore yes but I had skipped three grades so in reality I had been twelve years old at the start of it. I still think about how everybody told me I was going to do great things. That I was going to become a scientist or a politician that made my country a better place. I would laugh bitterly whenever the thought entered my mind and pretend I didn't even notice the stray tear or sometimes tears that fell down my cheeks.

Tears became like acid to me, something that should be avoided at all costs. I had cried for weeks when I first ended up in that little hovel and I had twisted my perception of tears into something that showed weakness, a hindrance that kept you from seeing clearly. But for the first few weeks I cried. I cried enough tears to fill a lake. Now I wish I had cried for longer because those weeks were my last weeks as a child. The days that followed were filled with nothing but hate from others, obstacles, and hardships. Every day was another fight just to stay alive and not lose my sanity or last bits of kindness and humanity that was in me.

Because lord knows how hard it was not to turn into a husk that absolutely hated humanity and everything about it. Every day I was met with hatred and disgust with little to no pity to be found anywhere. I was no better than the dust under their feet, no, I wasn't even worth that. To them I was as good as the garbage and waste swept to the sides of the street because at least people put up with dirt under their feet; no one wanted anything to do with me. I learned that I wasn't the only one either. Children, practically babies, who would beg for food would be ignored and even pushed away, the elderly were left to die from starvation and sickness, mothers some pregnant some with children: sick, starving, or both; would beg for food and jobs and would have the doors slammed in their faces.

Homeless, alone, ignored. We were all street rats. Those years of watching the cruelty has filled me a sense of knowledge and an overwhelming sense of compassion and mercy and want to help others; but, at the time it made me bitter and indifferent. I saw it as an issue that could not and would never be resolved and even though I still know that now and look on it with hope back then when I was just a kid it filled me with misery and sadness. It made me turn away from human contact; in my mind no one wanted me so I stayed as far away from them as possible and it made me sick to see other homeless people close to death and see them being treated so cruelly. It drove me further into depression and loneliness but most of the time I didn't feel anything but hunger and weakness from lack of proper nutrition.

I nearly died the first few weeks because I obviously couldn't afford food what with my lack of finances and my morals and pride kept me from stealing anything. Not to mention the fear of the guards. I couldn't bring myself to steal and I was in no physical condition to run from the guards anyway. It was a struggle for me to leave my hovel at all because it was like leaving the last place I knew I was absolutely safe then I was afraid of losing my way and never finding it again. I resolved the problem by hiding broken bits of the clay pottery I found in the hovel in places only I would look, like a Hansel and Gretel bread trail, and it lead me right back to my hovel. So once I got out and looked around some more I focused on getting food. For the first few months I stole from the trash baskets eating what little food was left. All of it was rotten unless I managed to get a fresh meal that was just thrown away; most of it fruit and bread and in a special rare case a bit of meat that was good enough to still eat. I drank from animal troughs ones recently filled if I could find one but most of the time they weren't. I often had to keep myself from regurgitating the dirty and sour water because I knew if I did I would die from dehydration.

I learned true hunger in those months. My stomach was always painfully empty and I dropped pounds at an unnatural pace. Soon my body that was once pudgy with evidence that I had always been well taken care of turned bony and sickly. I still vividly remember the unsettling sensation of my ribs against the scratchy fabric of my rags; I could actually feel my ribs against the fabric! My skin was constantly burning and aching from the massive sunburns and sometimes I was in so much pain I retreated into my hovel for days to avoid the Arabian sun and try to ride out the pain and misery of hunger as well as the unbearable pain of my burnt skin.

I developed a deep hatred for mirrors. I loathed mirrors during that time because it reminded me of what I was. Sometimes I could slip into a state where I was almost unaware of what I had become and for a while I was just plain old me. Nothing special nothing different, I was just me. Then passing a mirror and looking at the dirty skeleton of a girl that was inside the mirror I would jerk my head away and quickly leave. I am still haunted by those images of the girl in the mirror. To this day I still have a hard believing that image was me and I just call her the girl in the mirror. Because it reminded me just how low I had come when I had been so different before.

Hygiene was a thing of the past more of a past dream the longer I went without. I won't sugar coat it and I never will because it was the harsh reality of my life. I had no shower or bath the least I could do was splash my body with the water from the troughs but it did little. I felt like a stranger in my own skin: it had become dirty, sweaty, and smelly, my hair grew with horrible split ends, it had compiled quite a few tangles, it looked damp with the amount of oil in it, and it made my scalp itchy, and weighed down my head. In fact, my hair had grown so long at one point it trailed a couple inches past my feet and I had to snatch a jagged knife and slice my hair off leaving the bottom of my hair jagged and uneven. I had to do this a few times during the years as a street rat. The bathroom was something I usually found a deserted alley for and sometimes I would find that it had been used previously and I had to watch carefully where I stepped since I was barefooted. To clean myself I would find bits of tapestry hanging on deserted buildings that no one would miss and I would do my business quickly and leave.

I still have nightmares about it. It's probably not surprising that it left me bitter and angry at the world. In my hovel I would sit on the edge of the window and look out at the palace with hatred and wonder what it was like living in such luxury. I hadn't been rich back home but I had been well taken care of and the memories of home seemed like heaven when I was sitting on the stone floor of my crumbling and rat infested hovel dirty and starving. Then sometimes I would think of God. Did He love me? Did He love all the people that died on the streets and begged for food and begged Him in their prayers for help? I realized that Arabians worshiped Allah and a few other gods while I was a Christian but…my mother had taught me that God was merciful. Didn't He cry at what I saw on the streets every day? Didn't He care?

Then I would think of the story of Joseph that I watched on Veggie tales and the Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical and I would feel that glimmer of hope and warm feeling at the memory of my mother. Maybe things would get better. Maybe I just had to trust that I was in good hands and as long as I did what I knew was right everything would turn out okay.

But after three years of being completely alone deprived of basic human contact, love, nurturing, I had begun to think I was doomed to live alone and miserable until the day I died. I know it was three years because on the very first night I had taken a stone into my hand with a jagged edge and out of boredom chiseled a tally into one of the stones on the wall and I did everyday afterwards. It became a nightly ritual and after three years I had made three years' worth of tally marks and I remember the night vividly when I had carved in the third year tally. I almost smiled in bittersweet pride. I had survived three years on my own. Three agonizing long years…

I admit that my childhood had been taken away from me during those years but they had filled me with confidence and life experience. I feel that I am wiser and more capable now because of it but at the time I felt no pride because it was just part of survival. During those three years I had constantly battled with myself on the choice of stealing. My parents had always told me never to steal and that everything about it was wrong and so for a year and a half I didn't steal. But the longer I was stuck there the more I felt that wall breaking down. I was constantly hungry and I was usually always sick from the food I did eat and I was just miserably.

So I started to steal. Over the course of that year and a half I had learned almost every street in Agrabah from my nightly strolls through the streets, nighttime was the only time I felt safe to roam around farther than a half a mile from my hovel. My first snatch was carefully planned and I had thrown a rock to distract the vendor than ran away with one of his melons down a series of streets I knew was very easy to get lost in but I had marked with my clay pottery shards. I enjoyed the melon with more happiness and satisfaction than any slice of cake I had back home.

I never threw away anything since things were too precious to waste so I used the hulls of the melon as bowls. I had not had a ripe fruit since I had landed into that miserable life and I had to have more. So I continued to steal stepping it up each time. The guards had caught wind of it and they would come running but I had been gaining my strength back, albeit slowly, and I could run much faster than them. I found out quickly that the guards patrolled the market closest to the palace. My hovel was on the whole other side of Agrabah and I quickly learned through exploration that there were two separate market places in Agrabah. Vendors would typically set up their stands wherever they liked but most of the object sellers selling more…cheap objects were in the market closer to my hovel.

I quickly caught on that my part of town was the poorest while the other market was the heart of all the transactions food and objects. When I had become good at stealing from the cheap market I would walk a good three or four miles to the market then view my target choose one and carefully execute a plan that I could pull off realistically. Of course I could never snatch food without someone sighting me and alerting the guards and to those who had seen I described me as a flash of white. Whenever I thought of this I would roll my eyes at the exaggeration but I guess without it I wouldn't have my title.

A few snatches after that a man saw me running through the streets when the guards and the man tried to follow me but lost me the man screamed out, "It is a phantom I tell you, a white phantom!"

From then on I was called The White Phantom of Agrabah. I became almost like a public figure and I was almost too recognizable. I started having to work my brain harder and harder to think of streets I could use that wouldn't be too far but would be confusing enough for the guards that I could lose them quick. I actually started to take pride in the fact that I, a child half their age, could fool them so easily. Then they started to strike back and they learned the streets as well. I remember an incident where I came way to close to being caught at about two years.

I had admittedly went and been a little greedy and snatched two loaves of bread and an apple. The vendors and the guards were hot on my tail. In my rush I used the quickest route, but it was my mistake because it was a route I had used a hundred times before in my snatches and they caught on. The vendors cut me off first and when I turned to run I ran into the head guard that was burning holes into my skull with his eyes. I only just managed to stab my heel into his ankle and duck under another guard dropping the second loaf of bread and apple and ran using a less familiar road and I lost them. The trek home was longer and I had lost a good deal of my goods.

It was all too clear to me when I relaxed into my usual spot at the window that I needed a new plan. Something that would disturb not only the guards but the people. I knew that the unexplainable what was what scared people the most and then I thought about the whole White Phantom thing and it hit me. Phantoms disappear. Then my eyes caught sight of the roofs of the houses below me and I smiled at the idea. If I could make it look like I "disappear" the guards would be creeped the people would be creeped and it would make for a great get away or a great weapon if I knew they were scared of me. So I plotted out my plan.

First I found a way for me to easily hop the roofs. I knew that there was no way I could hop to one roof from another on even one try at my physical condition let alone a couple to get away from the guards. But then I found these long flexible but sturdy poles of wood that were normally used for carrying baskets over the back. I saw them as pole vaulting poles. It took me a few tries and a heart attack when I slammed onto the edge of the building, giving me some dark bruises, but I got it. Then I got to figuring out which houses were abandoned and would make a good hide away to climb to the roof of. I found that most houses had these stored on the roof. The abandoned ones usually didn't so I went on a scavenger hunt and gathered as many as I could and scattered them on the roofs I knew I would probably use and brought a few of the poles back home.

The looks on the people's faces when I "disappeared" after stealing a watermelon the next day were priceless! I'm sure that this wasn't a new idea but I was so swift when launching myself over the roof's I could hop over ten roofs in half a minute. They looked like they had seen a ghost which some of them really thought they had which to this day makes me laugh. It was a system that worked and when I could tell the guards were beginning to catch on I would try a different maneuver and throw them off again. The climbing and running and walking and the better food actually began to shape me up. I gained strength back in my muscles and some to spare, my stamina running improved, if I had been back home I would have gained an athletically toned body.

Here, the muscles looked sickly and quite disturbing since there was little to no muscles or healthy fat to pad my body. Yes, my life was improving as was my health but just by a little. I still always felt sick and hungry. Every day I was still met with stares of hate and disgust, judging cruel faces that cared not for the poor. It filled me with a prejudice against all people that although justified had no reason to exist and only pushed me into a deeper depression because I thought no one would ever see _me. _They would only ever see the starving street rat I had become and I felt as though I was losing myself to the streets to which made me all the more solitary and angry. I had taken to walking at night to avoid people all together so I could avoid the constant judging; plus, I could walk comfortably without worrying about a kidnapper. I walked swifter in night and I used it to my advantage and blended into the shadows completely unseen.

After three years of being alone I was finally given something to give me life again. Make me feel like myself again and it drew me in with a loud trumpet call. It had been early in the day and I hadn't woken up that long before I heard it below my window. I remember annoyance was the first feeling that surfaced and I wanted them to leave but when the trumpet persisted I couldn't help my curiosity and I peeked over the edge of my window to see a man on a horse completely covered in glinting jewels and extravagant clothing a smug demeaning look on his long and sharp face his stature erect in a intimidating way. I had never seen someone like this in my side of town before you see so I decided to see what such an obviously rich, probably royal, man was doing here in Agrabah.

I followed the man via roof's taking a pole with me for the roofs that didn't have them for a whole day my curiosity distracting me from my hunger. I wasn't very shocked when the end of the trail led to the palace gates and everyone seemed to have gathered into the streets to see him. The vendors were few in number since the time he had made it to the palace the market place was just closing down. But the few that were open had left their stands unattended to see. I did have pockets, very small ones, which I didn't use. I stuffed two apples, a loaf of bread, and a vine of grapes into the bags of my pants twisting the stems into the holes to secure them and tucked the bread safely into the fabric then went about my business looking like a homeless person eager for some excitement.

I received the usual look of disgust that I ignored and tip toed over the crowd to see what was happening.

"He's making his way to the palace," I remember one gentleman close to me saying.

The man beside him replied with, "A suitor for the princess! He's a fine example of royalty! The sultan should schedule a wedding now!"

I scoffed quietly behind him knowing that this man would have no chance with the Princess Jasmine. A loud yelp from a few feet away caught my attention and I turned to see a scene happening off a little ways in front of the prince. A little boy couldn't be older than ten maybe eleven if I was estimating high was playing a rough tug-a-war with a vender over a piece of fruit. The boy was putting everything he had into the fight and I could see the fat vendor was clearly struggling.

"Let go! You've got plenty," the boy shouted angrily tugging harder at the fruit.

"You let go, you little brat! You'll bruise it!"

It went on for a few minutes and I tensed as I watched, I thought it was a whole lot of trouble over a little piece of fruit. Then the vendor wrenched the fruit from the boy's grasps and the boy tumbled out into the street and to his bad luck right in front of the horse.

The horse startled by the sudden obstacle bucked and whinnied. The prince wasn't pleased and with a scowl that could have withered plants he reached for something at his belt. It was a whip. The boy looked terrified and I remembered looking up at the guards that first day and the gang of men and how no one had helped me. I propelled myself forward parting the crowd and rushing over to the boy before my mind silently commanded my feet to move.

"Out of my way! You filthy _brat_!"

I heard the crack of the whip, a collective gasp from the onlookers, and searing hot pain lit my left shoulder blade. I could feel the whip slicing through my skin and I could feel that the man had brought the whip down hard. The boy would have had an even deeper gash if it had hit him and I was happy that I had pushed him out of the way. I stood up not bothering to look at the boy and looked up at the prince with a crooked smile.

"You know if I were as rich as you _prince, I _could afford some manners."

The prince spluttered then looked at me with embarrassed rage, "I'll teach you some manners, wench!"

Then he kicked me into the sand, a very wet pile of sand, and the gash on my shoulder burned and I hissed in pain. The prince rode off looking very pleased with himself. The boy was at my side looking very upset and concerned and he lightly touched my arm. I remember flinching since I hadn't touched another human being casually in three years but it was also…comforting, that look of concern. I grinned at the boy and he cocked his head confusedly at me until I lightly nudged his shoulder and said,

"Hey kid, would ya look at that! I've never seen a horse with two rear ends before!"

The boy gave a chuckle but tried to hide it into his fist while I openly laughed in front of the prince with a smug grin on my face. The prince turned around and the way he was looking at me with such little respect and little expectation made my smile wean.

"You are a worthless, pitiful, street rat. You were born a street rat, you will die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you!"

Rage burned in my chest and I tried to run in after him before the large wooden gates of the palace swung closed on me. I slammed my fists into the wood repeatedly and screamed as loud as I could, "I'M NOT WORTHLESS! I'M NOT A RAT! I'M NOT, I'M Not, I'm…"

Then my thoughts returned and my rage dimmed and I was left once again with the fact that he was right. Here I was nothing but a street rat. No better than the garbage, worthless, nobody. The fact weighed heavy on my heart and I almost felt I had to believe it. I rested my head against the wall and my fist dragged down then fell to side the other placed against the door.

"I'm not worthless…"

I remember whispering this to myself in an almost comforting reassuring way as if I'd forget it if I didn't hear it. The street had cleared as had the remaining vendors leaving the street in silence and the sun was getting into its setting position. I stood there a long while before I had gathered myself enough to turn and head towards home. I was met with a big pair of brown eyes watching me intently and bashfully. We stood there silently for a long while, the two of us just watching trying to come to a conclusion about the other through appearance.

The boy was obviously the child of the street. His clothes were ragged but still in better shape than mine, a violet vest hung over his lanky frame and a fez sat on his oily hair that luckily for him was thick and black and mostly hid the oil. The kid was lucky. I could tell had been eating relatively well, but it was plain to me that recently he hadn't eaten, but not nearly as much as he should due to his bony lanky frame when he should have still had chubby cheeks and baby fat.

I sighed heavily composing myself then turned to the boy with a stone face and crying eyes, "Go home kid, the shows over. Try to keep yourself out of trouble."

I stumbled away hissing at the searing hot flashes of pain in my shoulder but stopped just to look back one last time at the boy. I was startled when I turned and the boy hadn't moved an inch and continued to stare at me uncertainly.

"What's the matter? Don't you at least have a family to go back to?"

The boy continued to stare uncertainly but a flash of shock crossed his face that intrigued me, "What? No one's ever bothered to ask before?"

The boy shook his head sending his thick black tangles and curls to fly around his head reminding me painfully of Belle. I shook the painful memory and the tightening of my chest away and I sighed irritably. The boy's face darkened slightly and backed slightly away in fright. I forced myself to take a deep breath and calm myself and soften my face.

"Look kid, I know I'm not the nicest to look at being a member of the walking dead but I'm not gonna even try to hurt you."

The boy turned sheepish but looked almost relieved then gazed up at me almost defiantly, "I wasn't scared."

I sagged my left arm and shoulder and I tightening my face in a disbelieving and in a painful, manner and gave the boy a scoff, "Yeah right, kid."

The boy's own shoulders sagged in defeat and his face fell, "Only a little."

"Whatever you say, kid. Look, it's getting late and I'm tired. Here," I picked out an apple from my pant leg and tossed it into his hands, "head home kid."

I took the other apple out and took a large bite out of it and started to walk away. About twenty feet later I dared to look back and there the boy was rubbing the apple nervously and staring sadly at the ground. He looked like a stray puppy that wanted me to take him home with me. I stared hard at the boy for a few seconds but the longer I looked the more pity I felt for him.

I sighed annoyed but relenting and I gave one quick wave of the hand. I remember being extremely conflicted about it and turning on my heel so fast I must have swiveled like a wheel and stomped off. That walk home was tense for me since I constantly had to bite down the urge to look back at the boy making the soft patter of feet and munching sounds that trailed behind me. When we walked into "my" part of town we had finished the apples and tossed the cores on the road. I heard the soft patter of feet draw nearer and I could tell the boy was scared.

"It's okay. Nobody comes here, and if they do they don't stay long."

I spared a glance at the boy and he was looking up at me with wide eyes and he nodded trying to seem brave but he was still obviously nervous. I guess the reason I went out of my comfort zone was because I saw myself in the boy: alone, scared, and looking for someone to care. It was still extremely uncomfortable at the time for me even with that thought. When we reached the ground floor of my hovel I turned to the boy then after a few seconds of thought kneeled down into a starting position the track runners back home used and I nudged my head.

"Get on my back, kid."

"But…but…"

The boy pointed to my left shoulder and I sighed again.

"I realize that my left shoulder has a paper cut. Just try not to touch it okay. I've been through worse."

The boy nodded and gently climbed onto my back avoiding the gash and gently wrapping his thin arms around my neck his lanky legs wrapped about my chest with one wrapped under one wrapped over my protruding ribs.

"You have a tight hold?"

"Yes…"

"Good. Wouldn't want you to fall…"

The boy's grip tightened and he pressed his face to my back. I knew I was freaking him out and I can't say I didn't have this intention in mind. I just couldn't find it in myself to care like I used to care. So with a heavy sigh trying to ignore the pain in my back, I climbed the long trail up to my little hovel. The boy was surprisingly quiet the whole time and his grip didn't tighten or loosen so I suspected that he was used to climbing. When the climb was over I hunched my shoulders and the boy understood and slipped off my shoulders and landed his feet made a sight pat on the floor.

I walked into the middle of the room and looked around patting my hands on my thighs.

"Here it is. My little slice of…heaven. It isn't the palace but…its home."

"You _live _here?"

The boy asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah. Makes for a great escape and hideaway from the guards," I said bluntly, "Where else would I live? Where do you live?"

The boy's eyes widened and he looked at the ground rubbing his arm, "wherever."

"So you don't have a family?"

"I did…a few weeks ago. My mama…"

My face softened at the sight of the boy's eyes glazing but the boy quickly wiped the moisture away. I watched him a bit longer memories flooding my mind then I turned away to the left wall of the hovel past the boy and pulled out a few loose tapestries and laid them over the ground.

"Come here."

The boy walked up to me arms crossed defensively and I patted to the makeshift bed I made.

"You can bunk here for the night. In the morning I'll get ya breakfast and then you're free to do whatever you want, kay?"

The boy nodded and I walked over to my window ledge and fitted myself in the notch that I had taken to sleeping in, hissing at the jagged stone on my cut, then turned my gaze out onto Agrabah.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

I turned to the boy lying on the blanket looking comfortable and I nodded my head emotionless.

"It's more comfortable on the floor you know…"

I nearly laughed at the boy's nervousness and I shook my head.

"I prefer the window, makes for a quick escape if the guards ever manage to find this place."

I left it at that purposely leaving out the fact that I felt safer and less trapped near the window sill than deeper in the hovel. The boy went quiet and he remained that way the rest of the night. I spared a few glances at him watching him sleep and I had to admit he was a very cute kid and it was easy to see he would grow to be very handsome when he was older. I barely slept that night, the searing pain in my back kept me awake. I had been more worried when the pain would numb because that usually meant infection but I thought that maybe if I was lucky it would heal alright on its own.

Early in the morning I slipped into a light dazed sleep and when I woke up the boy was surrounded by a melon and a vine of grapes and a fresh warm loaf of bread. This reminded me of my own food in my pants and I ate those for breakfast glancing back at the boy every once in a while. I was impressed. I figured he had to have stolen the food since it was so fresh, just a few hours before. Maybe he and his mother had been worse off than I thought and he stole for them. When we had finished we both sat in silence once in a while out glancing gazes would meet and either he or me would look away.

"Did you steal all that?"

The boy looked up almost in pride and nodded his head, "Yep. Everything."

"If you could do that, how come you got caught yesterday?"

The boy's tanned face turned a bit pink and he looked away with crossed arms.

"Someone shoved me into the vendor."

I nodded. I had my fair share of times when the crowds would block my escape routes and it never failed to irritate me when it happened.

"Tough luck… So, when are you heading back?"

The boy's head flew up looking scared and I almost cringed at the cold tone of my voice.

"I have to leave already?"

I shrugged, "Honestly I don't care. If you want to hang around longer be my guest."

I raised my arms gesturing to the hovel but immediately regretted it when my gash burned with pain and I fell off the window sill onto the stone floor. I flinched away at the warm gentle hand that touched my shoulder and the hand retracted. I looked up at the boy looking concerned but frightened of me. I didn't know why it hadn't occurred to me that the reason the boy was afraid of me wasn't because I was bony and malnurished it was because of how indifferent and cold I was acting towards him. But after three years it was all I knew. I pulled myself up into a sitting position holding my shoulder protectively and looked up at the boy with pain and irritation.

"I'm fine."

The boy backed away but he hadn't looked so sure. Silence filled the room again and after a while the boy had looked up with a nervous courage brought on by curiosity, "Why do you hide from the guards?"

I had laughed, bringing a deep wheezing cough from my throat, humorlessly.

"The White Phantom of Agrabah isn't exactly their favorite person. I know that the lead guard would pay his whole months' salary just or one swipe of his sword at my neck while I was restrained."

"Y-y-you're the White Phantom?"

I almost laughed at the boy's shock.

"Is it that surprising? What were you expecting in that little imagination?"

The boy flinched and looked more embarrassed than he had before when he looked up at me.

"Let me guess…a broad muscled man that could take out the whole brigade of guards with one swipe of his fist?"

The boy shook his head and I had been genuinely surprised, "Oh. Then what did you expect?"

"A boy like me, I guess…"

I stared at the boy with more raw emotion than I had felt in three years and I shook my head, "We are more alike than you think kid."

The boy seemed to dwell on the words a bit then he gained that same curious glint in his eyes, "How come they call you a white phantom?"

I had thought until that point it was pretty obvious but I had reminded myself that he was a kid and he probably wouldn't really notice. I scooted near him until I was sitting a foot away and I held out my hand.

"I'm not gonna bite."

The boy handed me his hand and I held it up with one hand and placed my other hand next to his for comparison. Even after the three years of the sun my skin hadn't really tanned and I was still a paper white against his deep honey tanned skin.

"Oh."

The way he said oh was so simple that I couldn't help but chuckle. Then the boy laughed and I belted out with laughter to. When we finished contentment I hadn't felt, in what felt like then was forever, in three years. It was a perfect moment, just laughing with another person. The silence that followed wasn't nearly as tense; it had comfortable and almost happy.

"Teach me."

The words so final and strong coming from the boy who up to that point had been nothing less than bashful knocked me out of my warm state.

"What," I said almost certain that I had heard wrong.

The determined look on the boy's face coupled with his fisted hands had told me that he had indeed said what I heard.

"I said teach me."

The boy looked like he had expected me to just to give in because he was so blunt in his request. I shook my head and stood, "Sorry kid. I don't have the patience or the drive to be a teacher."

The boy looked so surprised I nearly laughed in his face.

"Why not!"

"I just said why not. Do I need another reason?"

"Yeah! Teaching isn't so hard!"

I blew out a breath of air onto my forehead and turned to the boy with a tired face.

"What do you possibly expect to learn from me?"

"Teach me how to steal. How to outsmart the guards! I'll leave you alone after! I promise! Please!"

I learned there how parents feel when their kids are begging for something. I didn't want to teach him. One, it's a dangerous business that no kid should really ever learn. Two, I really didn't have the patience to teach him. Three, if something happened to him I would never forgive myself. But he looked so determined and sure that he could learn that I relented.

"Okay! Quit it with the puppy eyes! I'll teach you," the boy's eyes lit up, "BUT! If I do you have to play by my rules."

The boy shook his head eagerly and my stomach churned at his excitement. I had only agreed because I had been hoping that once I took him out and he saw first-hand what the "lessons" consisted of he would back out.

"Rule one, stay by me _at all times. _If we get in a sticky situation and you're not close to me I might not get to you in time. Rule two, listen to whatever I say when I say it. No matter how stupid you _think _it is. Anything I tell you I have learned first-hand and even if you think you have a better idea forget about it and don't even consider trying it. Deal," I finished holding out my hand.

"Deal," and the boy and I shook hands.

"So when do I start?"

I looked from the boy out my window then a smile pulled at my lips.

"How about now? If you're ready?"

The boy punched the air with a cheer and my smile only widened even if on the inside my stomach had hit my feet.


	4. Mad Elephants

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin: the movie, TV series, the musical, or the original legend. I only own Sid.**

I had chosen an easy target to start him off at. A quaint little guava stand at the corner of the intersection of the market place with not many people around. Perfect, a quick getaway and few to get in the way. The kid and I walked out to the market and we climbed through a deserted house overlooking the guava stand to the roof. I squatted near the edge and surveyed the market below to formulate the best possible execution. Beside me the boy was antsy with excitement and would not stop moving. It had been irritating.

"Calm down kid. You gotta learn to think calmly and logically when you do these things."

The kid just looked up with annoyance and deliberately ignored my statement.

"But why are we just standing here?! We can just hop down and steal the whole stand easily!"

I turned to the kid and silently turned my head out onto the street. The kid looked down and we watched as a man following the kid's tactic running out grabbing an armload of guava and running; but, was caught easily by the man I had seen who had been hiding in a plain but subtle spot near the vendor waiting for someone to steal and he was escorted away. The boy looked shocked beyond words.

"You can't just run into things. You need to slow down and look at things in a holistic manner."

"Huh?"

"Holistic? Holistic means whole. To look at something in a holistic manner means to look at the problem or situation as a whole. You need to take every little variable into account."

"What's a variable?"

I sighed and realized that in the book smarts area the kid wasn't the brightest. I could tell he wasn't dumb but not smart in the way my world viewed as intelligence.

"A variable is something that where I'm from we use when we're conducting experiments. A variable is a part of the experiment that is monitored and kept the same."

The boy gazed at me puzzled scratching his head.

"Look at the market," the boy obeyed, "every person down there is a variable. They affect whether or not we get that fruit. When you plan out what you're going to do to get that fruit you have to include the actions of every person down there."

"OH!"

"Yeah, you see. That's why you can't go running into a situation. You have to survey your game board to make the right move."

The boy looked confused but I waved him off and told him I would explain it to him later.

"So what is the plan," the boy asked peering over the edge of the roof.

"If I just tell you how to do things you won't learn. What do you think we should do my young pupil," I said earning an annoyed look then a thoughtful one.

The boy looked out onto the market for a few minutes for which I waited patiently.

"I think…I think that we can sneak up behind the vendor then we can run and climb to the roof of the house next to it by those grooves in the house."

The boy looked at me hopefully and to humor him I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, "Not quite how I'd do it but for your first attempt…good plan. Let's do it!"

So the boy and I climbed down and walked casually across the street up behind the vendors.

"Any guards," I asked to the boy looking out behind me.

"Nope."

"Alright," I motioned him to stand beside me and when he was I placed a hand on his shoulder, "Okay. Here's the next part of today's lesson. Timing. Timing on almost anything is important: comedy, cooking, but here it's the difference between a full and empty stomach. You have to wait for the perfect time to strike no matter how long it takes."

"How long is that," the boy asked dismayed holding his hands over what most likely was an empty stomach.

"Could take hours could happen in a few minutes. Depends," I said with a shrug, "But you have to stay on your feet in case-NOW!"

I remember the familiar feeling of adrenaline when I found the perfect opportunity to take the fruit. I yanked the boy's hands and we each swiped at least two guavas and ran. The vendor noticed only just when I had pulled the boy into the house and he was shouting angrily for the guards. We were in the market closest to the palace and the palace was too close for comfort. The crowd roused at the sound of the vendor shouting and the guards came tromping up as we climbed through the vacant but completely sturdy house to the roof.

"What is the problem here," I heard the leader say.

"It was the phantom! The White Phantom! She had a boy with her and they stole my fruit!"

"Hurry! They can't be far! I will have the hands of that street rat! Even if I have to search for years!"

I laughed in the heat of the excitement and pulled the boy faster. When we made it to the roof I laughed at the next part to come.

"They're going to see us! We'll be cornered!"

"Wanna know why they call me the White Phantom?"

"Why," the boy asked frightened.

I grabbed one of the poles and picked the boy up by his vest and slung him onto my back where he held on tightly.

"Because I disappear."

Then I ran wincing at the pain in my shoulder but ignored it with the adrenaline of the jump and pole vaulted over the roof the boy yelling out on my back.

"Quiet," I said when I landed then continued to run, "They'll follow your screams even if they can't see us quick enough," I snapped then vaulted over the next roof.

The boy stopped screaming so loud but that didn't stop the small squeals of laughter every time we flew over a building. By the time we had made it to the safe point I was grinning widely and I carefully put him down.

"Wow! That was great! Can we do it again?!"

"If you plan on being my student long enough to learn everything I know then…yes. Yes you will. Now eat up!"

We ate the sweet fruit happily and walked the rest of the way to the hovel. Upon reaching the ground entrance I turned to the boy and asked, "You want to try climbing or do you want a ride?"

He looked uncertainly up the large building then back at me. I realize now that he looked at my cut and he didn't want to cause me any more pain. He shook his head then gave a courageous smile, "No. I'll climb it myself."

"Alright. Go first so I can catch you if you slip. Some of the ladders are getting old, and they weren't brand new when I first got here."

The boy nodded and hesitantly began to climb. There had been no trouble and when we climbed into the small entryway he let out a sigh of relief.

"You alright," I asked with a small chuckle.

The boy nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay."

I smiled and walked back to the window and when I was sitting he was looking at me with concern.

"You're back is…pretty bad."

"Is it," I asked and turned my head to look even though I had known full well I wouldn't be able to see it, "How bad."

The boy rubbed his arm.

"Maybe you should go to the hospital."

I had scoffed at the suggestion, "What hospital? I haven't seen one on my walks. Even if I did know where one was I can't pay for food and new clothes! What makes you think I can pay for hospital bills?"

The boy looked up and said with sadness in his eyes, "There is a hospital near the center of Agrabah maybe an hour walk from here. My mama and I lived there. They offer housing and medical help for the poor. They'll gladly help you if you ask. They helped us."

I softened and sighed heavily.

"Do you really think I need it?"

The boy nodded hopefully and I groaned but stood up.

"Fine. Let's climb all the way back down and go to this hospital."

I grumbled the entire walk to the hospital but the boy didn't seem to mind. When we reached the building it didn't look anything different from the ones next to it.

"Are you sure this is it?"

"Mhmm."

The boy walked cozily up to the door and knocked. A middle aged woman wearing widow garb with a black veil answered.

"Yes, little one."

"I request medical attention for my…friend. She has a whip slash across her back that's getting really bad."

The woman looked at me and for the first time in three years the gaze was filled with kindness and compassion.

"Come in, my children. Let us tend to your wounds and give you a good meal."

I walked up the steps and into the house. It was small and roomy and had been filled with the usual Arabian decorations. But all packed tightly on the floor: children, mothers, and the elderly all lay and sat eating dinner. Some of the weaker ones having to be fed.

"Come, you will stay in the infirmary. There we will patch you up and you and your little friend can eat afterwards."

They led us into a sick room where many sick men and woman sat on mats all arranged to fit as many people, like in the room behind us, as possible limiting space, coughing and wheezing while women tended to them.

"Kid, stay out there. I don't want you going in here."

The boy did as I said and I went in alone. She led me over to my own little mat and gestured for me to sit.

"No, no, no, my dear. You must lay on your belly for me to tend to your wound."

I did as she asked and I remember being very uncomfortable and scared as I heard her moving around.

"Here we are! Alright, your wound is slightly infected dear. But it is not deep. A cleansing and some bandages and you will be right."

I heard her pouring some sort of liquid into a rag and she patted my right shoulder comfortingly.

"This will sting a little but it will clean your wound and prevent further infection from spreading."

Boy did it sting. I hissed and clawed at the mat at the burning in the cut and I clamped my teeth so hard together they hurt after. But the woman was very gentle, almost mother like, and her touch was very soothing.

"Good girl. Now we bandage it and the wound should heal in a few weeks."

I nodded meekly and winced as she bound the white bandages over my shoulder and neck through my left armpit.

"There! You are lucky that it wasn't deeper; it would have needed to be sewn if it was! Come, come, I will get you and your friend food."

I stood and followed her outside where the boy stood up from the floor and ran to me.

"Are you okay?!"

I laughed at his concern but also was deeply touched.

"I'm fine kid, just a little sting that's all. Come on, let's leave and let her feed the less fortunate," I said giving his hair a light ruffle.

We left the building. I saw that they would have given us the first well balanced meal I would have had in three years but after seeing how many families and sick people were there I felt that I would have been taking food out of their mouths. I could get food for me and the kid easy. Sadly, a few years after the hospital closed down from lack of finances. I was a little heartbroken to hear it but I had seen it coming also. It was near ten maybe at night when we finally made it back to my hovel. Agrabah is a huge place and most treks you did there would be miles and miles to get to where you wanted to, even with my shortcuts. The kid was bushed and was practically falling asleep on his feet when we arrived.

But before he slunk off to bed he turned to me bashfully with a light pink tinged to his cheeks and asked, "You can share my bed with me, I-if you want. It's really comfy, might make your back better."

I looked over at the mat of cloth then at him and I sighed, "Fine."

The boy's excitement was obvious but he tried very hard to hide it from me. We laid a good two feet from one another and back to back but it was comforting to know he was only a few feet away. That night I slept better than I had in a very long while. The next month and a half I spent teaching the boy everything I knew of the streets. Everyday a new lesson and more food since there were two of us to carry it. I no longer felt the loneliness that had crowded my heart for so long. I finally had a companion, someone to spend time with and talk to and I took advantage of every minute with the boy.

We didn't bother to learn each other's names, he called me phantom and I called him kid and it was enough for us. As much as I tried not to get attached so I wouldn't be heartbroken when he inevitably left it was an impossible task. For the first time I felt like I had purpose, I felt needed and cared for and I was not eager to give it up. So, purposely and sometimes even absentmindedly I would teach the kid something totally not related to stealing from the market to stall for extra time. The boy didn't seem to mind and he even asked for lessons like these every so often.

Sometimes I would teach him about some life lessons my father taught me, sometimes I would tell him stories that my mother read to me at night, sometimes I would just sit and tell him the countless ideas that were floating around in my head. And the boy would quietly listen, his face always stuck between an expression of awe and interest. The boy taught me things to; he taught me lessons of the desert that I had no idea about being raised in California. He taught me the way of the culture that I wasn't aware of before. In a way, we taught each other and I think we gave one another purpose. I may not have realized it then but I had grown so fond of the boy that even thinking of losing him would cause me great heartbreak that I don't think I would've been able to bounce back from. Silently, unbeknownst to either of us we formed an unspoken friendship.

It was only after two months of living together that I realized that the relationship that I had built with this boy was stronger than I ever thought it was before. I woke up that morning in a relatively good mood. I looked next to me half expected the boy to be there but his spot on the mat was empty. I wasn't worried at first, he would sometimes wander off to the market and use the tactic's I taught him and bring us breakfast with a proud smile on his face and I would humor him and ruffle his hair and once in a while if he did really well pat his back. But after five hours worry was my companion and he would not leave. Finally I had had enough and I grabbed a pole and hopped the roofs to our usual look out spot at the market. It was almost like a safe spot in tag, if one of us was to get in a sticky situation the other would wait here for our partner to walk close enough to the building for us to save them.

I looked around furiously for him but he was nowhere in sight. So I ran for every spot that we had visited regularly in the hopes that he was there. I even went out of my safety zone and climbed the wealthy houses until I was but a couple hundred yards from the palace and still no sign of him. Dread and anger started to fill my stomach making it churn. What if he had been captured by the guards? What if he was in the dungeon? What if he just up and left and didn't even bother to say goodbye? I was sure of one thing, if I found that kid I was going to teach him a lesson he would never forget.

I had been knocked out of my fuming by a sound that I recognized as the sound of a zoo, like the one my parents took me to when I was little and the ones I saw on all those school field trips. I vaulted a little closer and once the smell of manure hit my nostrils I knew it must have been an animal exhibit. I remember my heart stopping so fast my body stopped with it. When me and the kid had cozied up to one another he had told me of the various places and stories his mother had told him about. One of these was the Menagerie of the sultan. The boy explained that the Sultan, being the richest man in Agrabah and one of the richest in the seven deserts, had largest array of wild and exotic animals in all of Agrabah. He went on a rant about the beauty of the peacocks and the size of the elephants and the strange animals that resided in the palace.

I had told him that it sounded wonderful and that one day I would've liked to go see all the animals there since I love animals. But the boy sighed and explained that no one was permitted to see it unless you were royalty from a foreign nation coming to visit or the sultan gave his consent and took you there. But he told me that despite being closed off from the kingdom by the stone wall that surrounded the entire palace that a large gate stood on the far wall where the menagerie let in the more large animals, to hide them from nosy citizens.

I almost didn't even go to investigate. Surely the kid would know better than to try and sneak in there to see the animals. But after having scoped out every other place I could think of and my worry mounting I went to go see for myself. After vaulting carefully around new territory and walking across the ledges that connected some buildings together, a sure sign of the wealthy persons who lived there, I could finally see the large wooden door of the menagerie. The sound of the animals seemed to have increased exponentially as I had come closer and not just from the closer range. As I watched the door it seemed that something was happening in there. The animals were roaring and loud thumps were coming from the room.

I thick line of rope was tied from the large gate to the house I was standing on displaying the sultan's flags and I had prepared to use my pole to slide over to the top of the gate to see what rumpus was taking place. I am glad that I didn't because at that moment the gate bulged and the earth shook. Something was trying to break the gate down. I had been puzzling over what would possibly try to break down the gate then I received my answer. I gigantic full grown elephant with fully grown and very sharp tusks busted through the gate like it was cardboard and splintered wood flew everywhere. I crouched onto the roof taking cover from the wood momentarily and when I looked up the sight before me left me breathless with terror.

The elephant was on a full on rampage bucking and trumpeting angrily while he made way towards Agrabah. The servants that must have taken care of the animals all rushed forward with ropes and swords attempting to restrain the beast and kill it if necessary, while a few others stayed inside to round up the animals that had gotten loose from their cages during the elephants rampage. The royal palace guards rushed forward and closed the emergency gate which was built behind the original one, not nearly as thick but thick enough to keep the other animals in, to prevent any other animals from escaping. All while the elephants steps shook the ground. It was quite the scene and I watched on with fright wondering if it was safer to run from the scene towards safer ground or stay and watch the palace workers struggle. It was right about then that I spotted a tiny brown speck tightly hanging onto the elephant's foot. I squinted and looked as hard as I could and the object made my stomach fall to my feet. It was the kid.

I didn't know what to do. I had never even seen an elephant much less been that close to one much less try to take one down. But I also was deathly afraid of the boy being crushed by the elephants foot or impaled by his tusks. But I couldn't do anything! I would only make the situation worse so I watched in horror as the guards and servant's threw rope after rope over the beast and finally after coming to close for comfort to Agrabah the elephant fell and the ground shook one last time. I let out a sigh of relief until I realized that the boy had gotten roped up onto the elephant's leg. My heart seized again and my body temperature fell about three degrees when the guards started towards the boy looking very pissed.

"Do you have any idea what you could have done BOY!"

"I-I-I-I didn't mean!"

The guard drew his sword and raised it, "This is your punishment."

I couldn't see his face clearly but I could see he was squirming and I could hear him crying, "PLEASE! I didn't mean to! PLEASE STOP!"

I went deaf of everything but the boy's screams. My boy was screaming for me and I was damn well gonna answer. I slid down the rope screaming at the guard, "Don't you lay a finger on him!"

I jumped from the rope and landed right on the guard knocking him out cold. I stood up wobbly in the knees but focused on getting the little whelp home.

"Phantom! You came back!"

"Yeah, yeah, when we get home you are in SOOO much _trouble." _

The boy's joy turned into fear but he would have rather gone with me than the guards.

"It is The White Phantom!"

I cursed under my breath.

"This is not a good time for autograph's boys. I'll just take the kid and be on my way. I'll be _sure_ he learns his lesson," I said as I untied him and the boy kept his eyes anywhere but at me.

Of course the guards didn't buy the casual approach and they all ran for us at once. I pushed the kid out of the collision just in time as the guards all surrounded and grabbed me.

"Run for it kid!"

I heard slowly receding footsteps and I thought that the kid had run for it. I fought with all the strength and fury I could and I landed quite a few hard blows on the guards but in the end there were just too many of them. They grabbed me by my arms leaving me helpless and forced me to my knees. The leader of the guard who was just coming back into consciousness walked over to me an evil smirk that made my blood run cold on his face showing his crooked teeth.

"I have waited long for this moment. To see the notorious White Phantom's head rolling at my feet. I'll keep your hands as a trophy, to remember this moment."

"Wow, morbid much. Come on fellas! It was just some food! We all gotta eat!"

"Well," the guard replied mocking me by rubbing his head, "That's true but you did let loose the little urchin that let loose the elephant that nearly destroyed the city. Think of this as you taking the blame for him."

The guard gave me a sick smile and I shivered in fear as he dragged the blade down my neck over my newly healed whip scar.

"Please," I had cried out almost begging as I squirmed desperately in the other guards iron grips.

The guard laughed cruelly and with one quick swipe reopened the wound. I screamed in pain at the sickening ripping sensation as the newly healed skin was cut open and my warm blood trickled down my back.

I bit back my cry and glared at the glared with pure unadulterated hate, "You're going to kill me anyway! Why did you do that?"

He laughed pulling his sword to his eye and swiping his finger over the blood he found on the blade.

"You have escaped me for three years! The one street rat I haven't caught! You made me look like a fool! Now I have you and I intend to enjoy this execution very, very much."

"You can't execute me. All thieves get trial."

"That's where you are wrong," he shouted pressing his hand over my bleeding wound making it sting with pain. I hissed but was determined not to show any weakness that I couldn't hold back, "We are free to deal with thieves in any way we see fit."

I shook my head at him and kept my eyes trained straight ahead. I wouldn't die showing fear or cowardice. I wouldn't. If I was to die, I would die honorably. It wasn't the type of death I would have preferred but I suppose we don't get to choose these things do we?

I closed my eyes when the metal of his sword brushed the back of my neck as he steadied his blade.

"Any last words, _phantom?"_

"None that I can say in the presence of children or my God."

"You better hope your _god _is watching."

"Believe me, he is."

The sword lifted from my neck and I clenched my eyes shut. I heard that if you get beheaded sometimes you can see you headless body a few seconds after and I didn't want to see that at all! That and I wouldn't see the sword coming down when it sliced my neck.

_BOOM! SQUAK!_

I looked up just in time to see the menagerie gates opening and peacocks flying the coop. I kicked the guards holding my arms legs out from under them and elbowed one that was in my way and ran for it.

"She's getting away!"

"We must round up the peacocks!"

"Forget the bloody peacocks! I almost had her head! We must go after-"

"Who will the sultan blame if his animals escape and cause havoc," I guard yelled holding back the leader.

The lead guard grumbled and roared in rage but relented and joined the other guards rounding up the peacocks. I stood from the floor of the house I had been on before and watched the guards attempt to round up the flying birds into the closing gates, some of them getting attacked and pecked. I laughed at the guard's misery and from behind the hoopla the boy snuck out from behind the door and ran off while they were distracted.

'So, he didn't run out on me after all…' I thought. He looked over at me grinning thankfully but it fell quickly and he bolted something dropping from his pants in the process. I was surprised no other servants or people from the crowd that was surrounding the scene hadn't tried to round me up by then but with the servants and guards trying to round up every last peacock as well as drag the elephant back into the gate they were distracted; and, the crowd seemed to amused by the scene to pay me any attention. As quickly as I could manage I squeezed through the crowd and picked up the item the boy had dropped. It was wrapped in brown cloth tied with rough rope. I held it tightly in my fist and ran from the scene down the streets.

News spread quickly in Agrabah and by nightfall everybody had heard of the near catastrophe at the palace. I heard that all the animals were safely contained and nobody had gotten injured or killed. For that I was thankful. I hadn't eaten all that day but after my near death experience and the excitement of the day I wasn't very hungry. It took me two hours maybe three to finally walk the entire way home. The cut on my back was causing me so much pain I couldn't even vault myself over the roofs to make the trip quicker. When I had finally made it back I found the boy was on his mat legs drawn up to his chest and crossed his head resting on them, he looked miserable. By then my fear and worry had long since gone and all I felt was disappointment and anger and the boy's irresponsible actions. He flinched when he heard me walk in and I figured he had been through a lot that day almost being stamped into mush by an elephant so I walked to the window and sat there deathly silent and refused to acknowledge him.

I wouldn't bring it up; I would let him do it first. I was almost too angry to even look at him even if I had wanted to. The two of us sat in silence the air around the two of us thick with tension.

"I-I-I'm sorry…"

"…"

"I didn't mean to let the elephant loose it just…happened."

"What in the world were you doing there in the first place," I asked voice cold and sharp as ice shards.

"…..I-I-I was….I was…"

"Well," I said turning around to face him, "Let me explain to you the… almost irrevocable consequences that almost came from what you did," I said my voice eerily calm and cold even to my own ears.

"You nearly got yourself stamped beneath the foot of an elephant, you nearly destroyed _half _of Agrabah which could have possibly killed _hundreds _of innocent people, you nearly got killed by the guards, and because of what you did_ you very nearly got ME KILLED,_" I started off very calm and cold but slowly my voice escalated until I was shrieking angrily.

I took a deep hissing breath grabbing my left shoulder which was still agonizingly painful. I looked up at the boy who was huddled against the stone wall looking both ashamed and frightened and was close to tears.

"So," I said regaining my earlier calm and cold voice, "tell me…what the _hell _you were doing there?!"

The boy flinched but he was smart enough to know that he should answer and very quickly.

"I just…I-I just wanted to prove that I-"

"That you could what," I snapped, "Steal a freaking ELEPHANT!"

Then the boy turned angry, "NO! I'm not stupid!"

"OH, I think we could argue that! Then tell me, what were you doing there?!"

"I just wanted to tell you about all the animals! I was only going to look! Then I saw the peacocks and I thought you'd like a feather since they were so beautiful and I tried to get one but it pecked at my hand and I fell into the elephant fence and I scared him and he went berserk! It wasn't my fault the elephant went loose," The boy yelled desperately.

I turned to him so fast my hair slapped me in the face. I angrily tossed my hair away and shrieked back my face probably red with rage and my throat going sore from all the yelling, "Then whose fault is IT THEN! IF YOU HADN'T SNUCK INTO THE SULTAN'S DAMN ZOO IN THE FIRST PLACE_ THEN THE ELEPHANT WOULDN'T HAVE ESCAPED! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"_

"_I JUST WANTED TO SHOW I COULD DO IT," _the boy screamed then burst into tears hiding his face into his legs.

I wasn't surprised but I didn't let myself be broken down by a couple of tears. The kid needed to know how stupid his decision had been. But as he continued to cry so much he had been wheezing and coughing on his own tears I realized that maybe now I needed to play nice cop. I sighed and sat down next to him and wrapped a hesitant hand around his shoulder.

"Come on now, kid, no need for tears."

But that didn't stop him and he leaped into my arms and hugged me tightly. I froze in discomfort and for a second I didn't know what to do. Then I remembered what I used to do before all of this and I adjusted my position and wrapped my arms around his skinny figure and lightly patted his hair.

"I-I-I-I I'm SORRY," he wailed.

"Shhh, Shhh, Shhh, I know sweetheart I know," I said sweetly.

"You _h-hate _m-m-me now!"

"No, no, no, no, no, I _don't HATE _you. I'm _very upset _with you but I don't hate you."

"Y-y-you don't," the boy asked looking at me with red eyes still leaking tears. I cupped his face and half smiled, "Of course I don't silly."

The boy continued to cry his face pressed into my chest his arms squeezing my neck almost painfully. Maybe I would have been uncomfortable at another time with this, I can't say, but right there I didn't mind. I just continued to pat his back and rub his hair and let him cry. Even if my skin was getting covered in tears.

"Come on now. No more crying, it's alright."

"I-I-I wish I c-could b-b-but I can't s-s-stop!"

I nodded and replied, "Then let it all out. It's alright."

So the two of us sat on the stone floor of that hovel in each other's arms him crying while I tried to soothe him. After some time he finally wiped his eyes of the last tears and sniffled his nose a few times and pulled slowly away to sit next to me. But I kept an arm around him and he leaned slightly onto it.

"I'm sorry. I really messed up…I guess…I guess you don't want me around anymore," the boy said on the verge of tears again.

"Hey, hey, hey now, no more tears. I may still be upset with you and I can't say I'm going to get over this quick but I'm not going to send you away."

"Y-you're not?"

I looked down at the boy chuckling at how happily shocked he was.

"Of course I'm not. We all make mistakes…though I've never done something that stupid."

The boy looked away ashamed and I sighed heavily.

"Look kid…I'm…touched that you care about my approval. But what have I always told you?"

"Think things through?"

"Yeah. _This _was precisely why I told you that. Do you see now what running into something can do…even if it's for a noble purpose?"

"Yes ma'am."

"….You know, I've always been impressed by you."

The boy looked up his brown eyes soft and glinting.

"You are a very nice kid. Very resourceful filled with good ideas. But, you just can't go off doing things like that. How do you think I would have felt if you had died or gotten hurt?"

The boy shrugged miserably, "I thought…you might not care."

I growled and tugged the boy closer, "Wouldn't care? See here kid, I know that most of the time I'm not the nicest person to be around but that's because…I just haven't been around people for a long time. People I've known here are mean and cruel but you're nothing like those people and I shouldn't have been treating you like them. But…COME ON KID? I don't care if it's not legal or in writing, as long as you're staying with me you're my responsibility! If something happened to you…I…believe me I would care," I said turning away so the boy even with all that happened wouldn't see my emotion.

Not a word was said between us for a while and through that silence I remembered the brown parcel. I went back to the window sill and picked it up then knelt down to him and handed it to him. When he saw it his eyes went wide and turned crazed and he snatched it back and held it to his chest protectively.

"Hey, kid, jeez. No need to freak out."

"I'm sorry."

I looked from the cloth covered object to the boy holding it and asked, "Somethin' special?"

The boy looked up to me and I could see he was hiding something. It was plain to see in his eyes and I could plainly tell that he was conflicted on telling me. I sighed and thought to myself for a second. I really cared for this kid and I didn't want him to leave. But after what had happened I needed to establish trust between us again. So I crawled over to a stone and with trembling hands pulled it from its place and looked at what was hidden beneath. Hesitant but determined I reached down and grabbed a silver chain and attached to this silver chain was a silver ring. I heard the boy gasp and I turned back and knelt in front of him and held out the ring in my palm.

"Where did you get that?"

"My mother gave it to me. It was my father's wedding ring. She gave this to me on my twelfth birthday. She said that when I met the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with that if I wanted to, to give him this ring just like my mother's mother gave it to my grandfather."

The boy looked up a grim expression of sympathy on his face, "What happened to them," he asked hesitantly.

I sighed heavily and didn't say anything for a while. I didn't know what to say or much less how to phrase it so that I didn't look like a crazy peasant.

"They…they…it's really, REALLY complicated, kid…"

"Phantom…it's okay…"

"No."

"No what."

"No phantom anymore kid. I have a name. My names Sidney. But if you want…you can call me Sid. My family always did."

"Okay…Sid," the boy said saying my name like it was the strangest name he had ever heard.

"I didn't always live here. I lived…very far from here. I had a family and we were never as rich as the sultan but we lived in a good house and had plenty of food and we were happy. But one day on a…trip my family and I got separated and I got lost in the desert and ended up here in Agrabah. I had no way of finding them and they had no way of finding me. So…I haven't seen them since then. This ring is the only thing I have left of them. I could have sold it but I…I…I just can't bear to part with it."

For the first time in three years I cried in front of someone. A few stray tears fell and I clenched the ring in my hand and swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. I quickly wiped them away and put the ring around my neck tucking it into my shirt. I looked up at the boy who seemed less conflicted and he tore the cloth away and I scooted back at the sight of the object lying in his hand. It was a dagger.

It was gold, the butt of the dagger had a blue gem on it, the sheath was covered in brown leather with gold ribs in between, and the toe curled upwards with a gold dot at the end. On the handle was a painted blue strip and on it a golden hand. I couldn't stop staring at it.

"This was my fathers. My mom gave it to me and told me that it was my father's dying wish that I take it. He died when I was just a baby. My mom was stolen by bandits a few weeks ago. This is the only thing I have left of them."

He held the dagger close to his chest and I plaid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. You know, I was about your age when I got lost kid," I said earning a look from the boy, "I guess I was right. We aren't that different at all."

I spared a small smile and looked up at me, "Don't call me kid anymore."

"Kay, what should I call you?"

"My names Aladdin but…you can call me Al."

My mind was reeling at the thought that I had been teaching THE Aladdin this whole time but then I realized that he was still just a kid. Just because he was Aladdin I wouldn't act any different.

"Alright, Al it is."

I smiled and went in for a hug but hissed and feel when I stretched my back and in doing so the cut.

"Are you okay?"

"No Al, I'm just writhing on the ground and hissing because I wanted to show you my impression of a rattle snake."

Al ran for the side of the hovel and grabbed a piece of tapestry and a canteen of water.

"How long have you had that," I asked annoyed and shocked because I thought it was filled with water.

"It's not water."

He poured the canteen liquid onto my back and I screeched!

"AL! WHAT THE HELL!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I had to do it to clean the wound."

"Ssss, where did you get that stuff from anyway?"

"One of the ladies gave it to me in case your cut got infected again."

"Yippee."

"Hang on, I'm almost finished."

He took the tapestry and wrapped it around me with the upmost care. When he was finished my cut still hurt like hell but it was clean and hopefully it would heal, but I knew now that I wasn't going to avoid any scarring. Al closed the canteen bottle and set it off to the side.

"Thanks Al."

"No problem…"

I took off my necklace and set it back under the stone, "Do you want to put your dagger here? I promise no one will take it."

Al walked over and placed his dagger near my ring and we pushed the stone back into place.

"I think it's time for a snooze, don't you?"

"Yeah," Al said with a yawn.

"Tomorrow's a new day! Don't think you're getting off easy though, I'm not letting you out of my sight for a while."

Al didn't answer but we climbed onto the mat and fell asleep. But before I did I silently thanked God that I had finally found a friend, Aladdin or not, that wouldn't leave and that I could trust. Even if we had a long way to go back then.


	5. The Times of the Street Rats

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin: the musical, movie, cartoon, or original story. I only own Sid.**

True to my word I kept a very close eye on Al for the few months after the menagerie incident. Slowly, I learned to trust him on his own again and I let him have a bit of leash and everything was peachy between us. We didn't share much about our pasts with each other, mostly the details of our parent's deaths or in my case lack of death, but we told each other's stories of our lives before we became street rats. Al usually was more vocal during these times for obvious reasons. I couldn't just off handedly tell him about my previous life without him gaining some suspicion so I told him stories that I could weave to fit this time of my life.

I would have liked Al's mother. His descriptions of her painted a picture of a very loving and gentle woman who made sacrifices for her family, I was just sad she had been abducted and presumably died at forty-three. Not really old at all. Al told me that his father was never in the picture and that his mother explained he was killed selling out on the market. I knew the truth but I hadn't the heart to tell him. I wondered once in a while if these years were the years Cassim went searching for Aladdin and his wife and never found them. Then I would think that, even if it wasn't the nicest thought, that Al was better off with me.

Cassim would have lead him into a world of thievery and lies, even if he was his biological father, but here even if we didn't have much I cared deeply for him and would protect him with my life. It was a terrifying realization I had when I realized that I had come to love the boy. I wanted to be his family, I wanted Aladdin to accept me, but I knew full well that no matter how hard I tried to be motherly and nurturing I could never replace his mother just as in my heart Al would never replace my brother. In the three years before Al came I had wanted a better life to escape the disgrace of poverty and finally feel like myself again. With Al with me I felt more like myself than I had in years and poverty no longer disgraced me.

But, as I came to love Al I came to feel that same sinking feeling when I looked around what was now _our _hovel. I wanted better than this but not for me, for Al. He deserved better than this, he deserved fresh food, clean and comfortable clothing, bathing, and toys for a boy to play with. I might have only been four years older but that didn't matter in my mind. What registered in my head was as the boys care taker, and oldest, it was my job to make sure that he was provided for. I wished I was more like his mother the way he described her but I wasn't. I was a fifteen year old trying to take on a role fit for a much older person. But I tried my best and at the end of the day that's all Al seemed to care about. Even if it to me my best wasn't good enough.

We stuck together from there on out. Seven years of companionship and by the end of those seven years we were inseparable. Through those seven years we had been through thick and thin and whenever one of us was feeling down or in need the other was always there to pick the other up. As much as I played the provider Al cared for me as much as I did him. We were in every sense of the word, a team. Especially since the citizens of Agrabah now recognized Al as sort of some sidekick for me for our food outings. It almost made poverty bearable except for the reasons I listed before. In fact, those years hold some of my fondest and most beloved memories.

When Al was about fifteen I had given him the privilege of free days. Free days were days I let him go and roam around the market, provided he stayed close enough to make a quick getaway if he needed it. I stayed in the hovel "cleaning" it up a bit. Al and I had snatched a few pillows and blankets to cozy the place right up but in my memory it was the only thing other than food we ever stole. Most of our "furniture" was old objects nobody wanted and threw in the trash that Al and I liked and kept. Al had grown quite a bit so to give him a sense of independence I went back to sleeping near my windowsill except I set up a mat with a pillow on the steps instead of balancing myself on the windowsill while Al kept the other mat which he had covered with a few pillows.

Seeing as there were now two of us food wasn't really an issue, despite the fact we were still skinny enough to see bone. Tends to happen when you don't get much protein in your diet. Although we did do most of our snatches together sometimes Al and I just wanted to go out and walk around and often that left Al or me here to entertain ourselves. It was our number one rule. You had to stay in the hovel if the other is out so if you got into trouble you knew for sure when you got back you had somebody to back you up.

I fluffed the pillows, tried to lift a few of the broken and rotting beams and make the place more manageable, and dusted, which was nothing more than kicking dirt to the corners of the hovel. When Al came back he was wearing a very wide smile, one that was just screaming with pride. Al didn't bring anything with him through and I found that extremely odd. I sort of blamed myself for this little trait of his but he would never pass up an opportunity to snatch a snack for us and with a market as large as Agrabah if you were quick enough there was always a chance to take something.

"What are you so happy about, sport," I asked skeptically.

He shrugged biting his lip as if he was trying to hide giggles, "nothin'."

"Yeah, okay," I mumbled and turned away from him and went on cleaning the hovel.

The rest of that week he snuck away acted all happy with himself and it only furthered my suspicions. Of course the motherly/sisterly side of me was screaming that he was going out to see girls but I blew them off. If he wanted to that was fine I only wanted to know when and where he was for safety reasons and he was just sneaking away whenever he felt like it which was a big no-no. After maybe five days of this I confronted him about it being very casual as to not make him feel like he was being cornered.

"So, what have you been up to all week, huh? New great heist plan your hatching or are you off to some secret meeting," I asked playfully.

Al rubbed his neck and shrugged with a very forced laugh, "Secret meeting," he said with a wave of the hand, "nah. I'm just doing something."

"Mhmm, well could you tell me when and where your off doing something so I'm not here pacing a groove into the floor."

"Yeah, sorry. I'll tell you from now on."

"Good," I told him patting his back. Then I grabbed two poles throwing one at Al and said, "Come on, dinner isn't going to appear on our doorstep. How great would that be though?"

Off we went to steal dinner and I thought it was the end of that. Then maybe three or four days after Al came in looking very nervous and hiding something behind his back. I had been trying to carve a duck out of some wood from the beams with a jagged rock and…it hadn't been going the way I had wanted and the duck was looking more like a hamster with rabies when he had walked in.

"Hey Al," I had greeted him, "How did the exploration go? You find any neat goodies?"

Al rubbed his neck, a habit which always pointed to either lies or nervousness, and he laughed, "Yeah, I found something…"

"Really," I said eagerly tossing the hunk of wood and rock away, "What'd ya find?"

Al looked up at me and continued to rub his neck and then looking to the side he held out the hand that was previously hiding behind his back.

I remember feeling overwhelming sense of happiness and flattery as I stared at the object sitting in Al's palm. It was a rock but a very beautiful rock. It was what I could recognize as some form of crystal and it was a gorgeous bright blue that seemed to glow. It was clear that someone had attempted to sculpt it into an oval by very blunt means but it left it with very smooth and flat parts along with jagged edges and a hole had been chipped threw the thin top edge where a thin rope ran through tied with a knot on the end. It was very simple but to me it was beautiful.

"Al, did you make this?"

Al smiled and nodded his head sill determined not to look me in the eye, "Yeah. I stubbed my toe on the rock and I thought it was kinda pretty and I thought you might like it. I wish I could get you the real thing…"

"Real thing my ass Al," I said with a laugh and hugged him tightly taking the necklace from his hands and slipping it over my head pulling my hair through, "This is much better than all those dime a dozen gold necklaces on the market! You made this! That makes it unique!"

"So, you like it," Al said grinning at me from ear to ear.

"No. I LOVE IT! I'm never taking this off now, you realize."

I laughed and Al grinned with embarrassed pride.

"But Al, it's not my birthday," I had laughed as I fingered the stone.

Al shrugged, "I just wanted to give you something nice for all you've done for me."

"Al, were friends. Practically family. You don't need to thank me. Now I'm just going to have to get you something spectacular on your birthday…Um….when is your birthday?"

"April fifth."

"No way! Mine is April twenty-seventh."

"Good to know," Al said with a laugh.

I've kept that necklace with me ever since always wearing it with a sense of pride and showing it for all to see. It was just a mineral rock; not worth anything here but it mattered not, my Al made it for me.

A few months after that Al woke me up in the dead of night under a full moon tossing and screaming in his sleep. Of course I was alarmed and ran over and shook him awake. His eyes soaked with tears flew open and stared at me with a wild fear and his forehead was slick with cold sweat. I wiped the sweat away and wrapped Al in a tight hug.

"It's okay Al it's okay."

"No, no, it's not," Al sobbed trying to pull away from me.

I refused to let him go and kept my arms locked around him and forced him to stay put, "It was just a dream Aladdin! It was just a nightmare! It wasn't real!"

"No," Al cried as he ceased his struggling and sunk into my tight grip, "You don't get it. It did happen! They…t-they took her! They took her away! I never saw her again! They took her away," Al sobbed weakly.

I knew immediately he was talking about his mother. From what I little I learned from Al and what information I had gotten the courage to receive from those who would listen to me a gang of bandits had rode into Agrabah before Al and I's first meeting and they sacked a dozen houses stealing anything of value and even some of the women to sell them into slavery. They had focused on the middle and high class so it wasn't in my part of the city which explained why I knew nothing of it at the time.

Al described his mother to me as a skilled and hardworking weaver describing her tapestries as such wonderful works of art it didn't come as a surprise to me the sick twisted men would steal not only her rugs and blankets but her as well. Al for the most part was a very happy and joyful kid but even nightmares pushed to the far recesses of our minds have to come to the forefront sometimes and for my poor Aladdin they came in his dreams.

He had had a few of these cold sweat episodes before and I would not push the issue by smothering him with questions; but, this particular episode had been so severe I had to intervene. I didn't know and I still don't know how bad the raid was or if Al had seen his mother being taken but whatever did happen left many sad and hard memories for him. I knew that these wounds can never be fully healed and they would bleed sometimes and I made a vow to be there to patch them up again when they did. So I held him and let him cry and rubbed his back comfortingly and ran my hand through his hair.

"I-I know Al," I said my voice wobbling slightly as I spoke and a few stray tears falling down my dirt stained cheeks, "I know… And…I'm sorry. I'm sorry that these bad things happen. You can't let these things destroy you; you have to keep your chin up. Your mom would have wanted you to. I'm here and I will always be here and no one will ever take me away. I promise and I never break my promises."

Al didn't answer and if he had I couldn't hear him behind all his tears but I sat and soothed him until he stopped crying then I let him go and tucked an extra cloth around him and in a bold move leaned down and kissed his head.

"Night Al."

Al was distant from me for days after that from embarrassment or sadness I hadn't known. I gave him his space and kept to myself for those days. We spoke little and for the most part took turns getting food. Al came around again but it was an episode that he was not eager to speak of and I didn't want to upset him so I let him believe I had forgotten about it. Al never did have a nightmare as bad as that one after that, he had a few smaller ones and for them I would give him a comforting word, pat his shoulder, and tell him to go back to sleep.

Despite the bad dreams Al was the kindest and pure hearted, and mischievous, person I had ever some across. When he was thirteen we came across a couple of very small children picking through the garbage after a steal sometime around noon. We didn't look savory either but at least we had a bit of meat on our bones these children had been walking skeletons. I looked down at the bread I had and without hesitation decided to give it to the little kids. I looked up to move and saw that Al had already beaten me there and gave his own crust of bread to the children. He left with a very happy smile and the children were more than thankful as they ravenously tore into the bread I gave my own bread to them for good measure and we left.

Looking back at the children I turned to Aladdin and said with a soft smile, "That was a very selfless thing you did back there Al."

Al smiled and rubbed the back of his neck and said simply, "They needed it."

"You know Al, sacrifice and caring for others are the greatest and hardest lessons to learn in life."

Al looked up at me and I added, "It's also the easiest to forget. Don't ever give that up Al no matter what."

"Okay."

"Kay. How about we take a stroll? The sun isn't as hot and I heard that the flame swallower is doing a new routine today."

"Let's go!"

I had laughed happily as Al grabbed my hand and dragged me down the street.

I remember the time when I received some cloth from a seamstress. A seamstress from a faraway country, I think it was Greece, was visiting Agrabah with her son. They had been a part of a traveling shop they owned and they traveled around the world selling silk and cloth and sewing outfits. I had taken a leisurely stroll early in the morning for no particular reason, it was cool and the guards were nowhere near awake much less patrolling at that time, and I had been enjoying myself. I had been minding my own business when the sound of rolling wheels met my ears. I looked down the street and a cart was racing towards me a boy clinging to the rickety thing.

It was my first instinct to move out of the way which I did but as I watched the cart come closer I realized that maybe if I timed it right I could stop it. So I waited and when the cart looked to be in the perfect position I leaped for the handles and received a huge splinter in my attempts but I planted my heels deep in the sand and slowly, and painfully with the amount of sharp and hard objects hidden in the sand, it stopped leaving a long parallel trail of grooves in the sand behind us. The boy hopped down and ran to my side thanking me but I was grumbling angrily picking splinters from my hands and sharp objects from my feet.

"Oh my baby!"

I woman dressed in fine but not royal clothing hurried over and took her son in her arms.

"Mama! Mama! The lady saved me!"

"So she did! She saved my cart to! Oh thank you young miss! If there is anything I can ever do to repay you just say it and it will be yours!"

I waved her off, "No need. It was my pleasure."

I had turned away thinking it was the end of the conversation but the woman would not have it.

"No, no, no! You deserve a reward! Perhaps some silk!"

"No you don't need to…I mean…that would be wonderful."

So she brought me into the cart itself, after she had parked it in a much safer place, and she gave me enough silk and needles and cloth to last a year.

"They're lovely! I…can't possibly accept these."

"No. They are a token of my gratitude. Keep them."

"Thank you! Thank you very much! I have to go but I won't forget this! Thank you!"

Then I left. I wished I didn't have to be so abrupt but if I didn't leave then I had a larger chance of running into the guards and I did not want that. Al had been overjoyed when I came home with the stuff. He had been fourteen and just starting a growth spurt. I could have made some new clothes for me but now I am glad I decided against it. He grew so much over those years I needed every last bit of cloth to make him clothing. It seemed he outgrew shoes only a few months after I would make them. Al I could tell felt guilty since he was getting pretty much new clothes while I still wore ugly old rags. Luckily I had learned to sew back home so it wasn't that much of a difficult task. Al would make up for it by trying to be extra helpful and would not stop thanking me for the clothes and everything else whenever he got a new pair.

"Al! Relax! Think of the clothes as your birthday presents. When we run into some money I'll get you even better ones but now I think this'll hold you over, yeah?"

Life in Agrabah was life in Agrabah those seven years. Some days were filled with excitement others were slow some were boring some were filled with excitement of the frightening kind others were slow but enjoyable. Just the days of life but there is one day that stands out particularly in my mind. In fact, I can remember the whole month that led up to it because for one it took place just a little over a year before the musical plot actually started and two it was the time of the great famine. Agrabah being set in the Desert in the out pit of freaking nowhere could not produce its own produce or agriculture. Agrabah's business men would trade with far off people and come back bringing the goods they brought and then some foreigners would set up a stand in the market bringing their goods and produce.

But there were some definite people that Agrabah traded with that me and Al didn't know of and apparently there had been a terrible drought happening there that we heard on the grapevine. Crops were withering and the soil was dead of nutrients and what little was grown was not near enough to feed their own people much less for trading. I had never seen so many bare spots in the market place. At first nobody really wanted to face the possibility of famine so they sort of waved the notion away but when the market place began having less and less food to sell everyone knew that this was some serious business. I guess if I had still been sore at Agrabah for the poverty thing I would have almost been glad. When the shit hits the fan the shit hits everybody and everybody was suffering, even the sultan.

The vendors of jewelry, pottery, and objects were losing business due to the demand for their goods going down. The vendors of produce no longer had goods and they had to go out of business for a while. Little goods were being brought in and as a result the price for produce that was of less quality then the produce before was three times as expensive. Even the sultan's goods were half decent and in small supply. Al and I went without for a month except for some garbage raids and even those were slim. Everybody was becoming poor and hungry now and it didn't seem right to steal at a low time like this. The goods that came in were as good as the garbage anyway. Al and I lost a lot of weight that month and we didn't have a lot to begin with. We were miserable, hungry, and things looked dismal.

Then a ray of hope came for Agrabah. A trading post with goods in abundance was set up in one of our allies markets and the sultan had sent vendors and palace servants to go and buy as much as possible to bring back for the market. From what people were saying it was a bountiful crop the best one for the kingdom that was trading. I was optimistic until I realized how fast the goods were going to be bought and sold with the demand being too high. We had no chance of planning a steal much less buying anything. There were already so many wealthy people that were probably calling dibs on food and Al and I were starting to feel the exhaustion of hunger and I knew if I didn't find an answer we weren't going to be around much longer.

An idea came to me, quite early on in fact, but I put it off in the hopes an alternative would present itself so I wouldn't have to follow through on the idea. But seeing as it had turned into a survival of the fittest in Agrabah it seemed to me at the time I had no choice. So the night before the men from the palace was due to return I walked to the stone block and pulled out my father's wedding ring. I clenched my fist around it then with a heavy sigh turned to Al who was throwing pebbles at the stone wall.

"Al," Al looked up not a second later, "I need you to do something for me."

"Sure Sid what is it?"

Al stood up and jumped over to me and I looked up dismally and held out my ring.

"Sid, no!"

"There isn't any choice! We need food! And I'm not going to ask you to give me your dagger!"

"There has to be another way. I mean, that's the only thing you have left of your family."

I laid a heavy hand on Al's shoulder and gave him a serious but fond gaze, "You're my family now Al. You're going to take this and exchange it for money and we'll finally get some food."

Al tried to protest but I held up a firm hand to stop him, "No arguments! Please, can you do this for me Al?"

Al sighed and scratched his neck.

"Yeah, I'll do it."

"That's my boy," I said with a smile.

"Now hurry! If you don't, we'll miss the food before you can even get there."

What followed has to this day never been clear to me. Al and I didn't talk about it after and it doesn't seem that important to me now as it did when it happened. I had waited anxiously for hours for Al to come home. I won't lie I was very anxious for the food and the thought of fresh food after so long made my mouth water. We stole yeah but sometimes when you had to make a quick getaway you settled on what you could get and not all fruit, bread, or vegetables were of the finest quality. When Al did come home my heart dropped to my feet and my worry escalated when he was empty handed and rubbing his neck and looking extremely guilty.

"Al," I asked carefully my voice wavering just slightly.

He looked at my face then looked at the floor.

"What happened," I demanded my voice was heavy and disappointed my eyes must have been smoldering and intense.

"Sid, you gotta listen to me! It-It wasn't my fault, Sid."

I scoffed and turned from him. I had been on the verge of tears. It was too much. I didn't want to know what had happened. All I knew was Al had gone and done something stupid and my ring was probably lost. Then I did cry. I didn't talk to Al I couldn't even bring myself to look at him. I wanted to be alone and ride out my anger and sadness until it was low enough that I wouldn't say something that I would regret later. I went to sleep early but I didn't sleep. I lay on my mat and stared out at Agrabah through my window. I loved Al, I had no doubt about that, but that didn't mean that I couldn't be extremely cheesed off at him. I tried to do my usual sort out anger through thought but I couldn't force my mind to compute that day. I was just too hungry, sad, and angry.

Al had been going through _that _phase. Al for most of that year had gotten himself into a lot of trouble just for the sake of cheesing off the guards and causing a little mischief. I had no trouble with it once in a while; but, his actions had become irresponsible in nature and not just in good fun. He had nearly trashed a melon cart a few days earlier, broke into a woman's harem home and flirted with the girls who lived there almost getting smacked in the face with a broom, almost got his hand cut off by just trying to mess with the guards, nearly got his ear taken off by a camel he had managed to upset, it was a mess that I was left to clean up. I had been pretty lenient with him but it was getting pretty bad and even though I always gave him a long winded lecture after every incident he continued to cause stupid mischief. But never did I have even the thought he would do something stupid with such a precious possession. The mere thoughts of what could have happened to my poor ring made me crouch in the fetal position and bunch the tapestries that acted as my bed covers tightly around me.

Al had picked the far corner as his perch and I hadn't heard a peep from him. After an hour or so of sitting still on my mat Aladdin must have thought I went to sleep. He stood and sighed heavily and I could just feel his eyes on me. He was guilty, I knew that, but I still couldn't look at him.

_Proud of your boy. I'll make you proud of your boy._

The sudden soft and sad quality to his voice earned my complete attention. He was singing but not anywhere near the usual Broadway singing. Broadway singing is very grand and loud usually even with emotional sad songs but…I didn't even know if I could call what Al was doing singing. It was almost a soft musical murmuring, as if he was talking to himself rather than to me. But it was still singing to my ears and I listened closely as he sang.

_Believe me, bad as I've been, Sid you're in for a pleasant surprise. _

_I've wasted time, I've wasted me. So say I'm slow for my age a late bloomer, okay I agree._

_That I've been one rotten kid. Some…brother, some pride and some joy. But I'll get over these lousin' up, messin' up, and screwin' up times._

_You'll see, Sid, now comes the better part. Someone's gonna make good cross his stupid heart. Make good and finally make you proud of your boy._

_Tell me that I've been a louse and a loafer you won't get a fight here, no ma'am. Say I'm a goldbrick, a goof-off, no good but that can't be all that I am._

_Water flows under the bridge let it pass let it go. There's no good reason that you should believe me not yet, I know, but someday and soon. I'll make you proud of your boy._

_Though I can't make myself taller or stronger or handsome or wise. I'll do my best what else can I do since I wasn't born perfect like my mom or you._

_Sid…sis, I will try to...try hard to make you…proud of your boy._

His voice softly faded away as he tucked the tapestries closer around me like I had done for him countless times and to top it off he slipped my ring onto my finger, patted my hand, then really surprising me lightly kissed my cheek. Al walked over to his mat and lay down to sleep and I wiped the tears from my eyes. Despite how close we were like most siblings and children in general we didn't really tell each other in words of our relationship. We just lived as a family and we just sort of knew that we both cared. Hearing it was a different story. It was the first time Al called me sister, said I was his boy, reassured that he saw me as family and cared about my approval. I had been worried with the behavior he had been having that maybe Al was outgrowing me somehow and would leave when he became old enough and become that solo street rat of the play. That song wiped all my worries away. I fingered my ring and inwardly forgave Al for whatever had happened. That one time, I let it slide. Just that one time.

Things looked up fortunately for us. Agrabah had expanded our trading routes on our trip to get the food so now Agrabah was no longer at risk for famine and the market in little time was bustling with costumers and produce again. Everything worked out, luckily. Al had been extremely guilty and as such had stayed out of trouble and went out of his way to be helpful the days after. I was slow in going back to our usual interactions but I showed that I still cared about him despite whatever stupid thing he did. It was water under the bridge. It was then and really throughout my time as a street rat and even now that I think that despite whatever obstacle, mishaps, or emotional road bumps we went through Al and I would always have each other. We were a family and the thought even now makes me smile.

**A/ N: I hope you liked this chapter! **** It was fun to write. Proud of Your Boy was originally in the Aladdin movie in the original script but it was cut out in the final product of the movie. Although, it is on the soundtrack and was recorded by Clay Aiken and can be found on the special addition and as a demo recorded by Alan Menken with a rough animation of the original scene. I love the song so much! I think it's a beautiful song and I really wanted to include it in the story so there it is. It's on youtube you should go and listen to it, I personally prefer the original demo, but Clay Aiken's recording is pretty good to. **

**Thank you to all that read this story and I'll have the next chapters up quick. **


	6. Getting things Started

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin: TV series, movie, musical, or original legend. I only own Sid.**

I was…22 when the musical started underway, twenty-two or twenty-three, either one. I'm not a hundred percent sure of my exact age because, give me a break, I didn't have a calendar or even a clock to tell the time. Most of the time I had no idea what month it was and I usually told time by the positions of the sun using simple common sense to determine what position said what time. To be honest it really doesn't matter to me that much now and it didn't bother me then either. Even if I had really wanted to know the months I couldn't have pulled the common sense technique out because it's always freakin' summer in Agrabah even in winter months so it's a bit more difficult to tell.

Anyway, I was twenty-two, I'm sticking with that, and Al was eighteen. As I had predicted he had grown into a very handsome man with a very nice smile. I'm honestly surprised that we stuck together that long but we were family so it didn't register at the time. Al and I had been eating relatively well so Al had acquired some muscles as I was still pretty skinny and had some ribs showing as well as my cheek bones sticking out but that's just because I gave usually all the protein to Al since he needed it more. It had been a relatively normal day. We woke up, talked, then left to go snatch us some breakfast, usually a melon, but something felt a little different that day.

A certain weight had settled in the air making it heavier and I could feel it. Like when your parents are telling you something monumentally important you can feel it in the air, it felt almost identical. But for Al's sake I pretended to not notice anything and we hopped over to the market. I realize now that Al and I could have walked more than we jumped but we had just too much fun propelling ourselves over the roofs. It had been an average day; the street was bustling, the vendors had been yelling out their wonderful deals, and the usual loud melding talk of the street filled the ears.

Al and I had hung over our safe spot looking over the vendors.

"Who should we terrorize this time?"

Al held his chin and puckered his lips in a mockingly thoughtful manner as he turned his head from side to side looking down at the vendors.

"I'm in the mood for apples."

I smiled widely and laughed, "You really hate that guy don't you."

Al scowled and glowered at the vendor in question below, "He is the one who pushed me in front of the horse."

"Point taken, let's get to work then."

We used a classic maneuver. Usually over every vendor cart was a canopy of cloth that usually supported the two of us as long as we didn't try to use them as trampolines. Our plan, which we thought was full proof, was to sneak onto the canopy by climbing through the house behind him then one of us would distract him while the other grabbed the loot. It had worked before so we thought it would work again. Over the years we had seemed to lose our courtesy of house owners and simply walked through their homes. Most of them knew us so well from the publicity when a family saw us sneaking through the house they knew what we were doing anyway so we didn't cause any alarm.

So we enacted our plan and it had been going beautifully. Al was the distraction and I had snagged two apples while the vendor's back was turned and I gave the signal, an eerie moan you know to really drive home the whole phantom thing, and Al and I ran off. What we weren't aware of was that the guards had been just around the corner and at the first shout of dismayed anger they came running after us. Al and I knew that we had to get away fast and so I ran for our getaway path but it seemed my feet wanted me to go a different direction and Al followed me down the wrong path.

When Al and I ran into a man with a snake staff I knew what had happened. Disney went and forced us on the wrong path purposely. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard the yells of the vendors and guards behind us.

"Stop you worthless street rats!"

"Hey," Al yelled, "That's Mr.-

"And Miss-

"Worthless Street Rats to you," Al finished with a grin.

We saw a building up ahead and we took off and climbed to the very top window of the house.

"Those wretched brats have been stealing my apples, again!"

Al and I peeped out the window and we shared a look as the vendor and guard glared angrily up at us.

"Look guys, we are all human here, right? Try to see where we're coming from. It's just two little apples," I said with a laugh, "I mean, is that really worth all this, all this violence? You wouldn't attack a guy just for trying to survive would you?"

It had been a long while since Al and I had had an actual confrontation with the guards so I really wanted to make the most of it. The guards snarled and drew their swords in response, the resounding shing of the blades leaving their sheaths echoing in the silence.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Al and I tossed our apples back down to the guards, for whatever reason, and Al said, "Take them back, we really didn't want them anyway."

We bolted and the guards took off after us screaming, "They're getting away!"

What followed was the strangest but one of the coolest experiences I've had. I could hear every voice of every person who had a speaking line no matter how close or far Al and I were from them. I don't know how I just add it up to Disney magic now.

"Those two are such a nuisance," A woman shouted aggravation clear in her voice.

Her friend agreed wholeheartedly with a reply of, "the guards should throw them into the palace dungeon and throw away the key!"

A man who if I remember correctly was standing next to the vendor we stole from shouted, "Somebody, stop them!"

About then Al and I had escaped the house but not the palace guards and they were hot on our tail. We pushed and ran around countless shoppers and vendors taking opposite paths running from the guards and out of nowhere music started. I thought it was the strangest thing not because music started but because Al, and everybody else, didn't seem to notice. It was Disney so I brushed it off and just went with it.

"_One jump ahead of the bread line one swing ahead of the sword," _Al sang with a smile once we had met up again.

An insanely strong urge to sing bubbled inside of me and almost against my will the strong notes came from my throat, _"We steal only what we can't afford. That's everything!"_

I was no opera singer but my father had been a singer and I had been in my school chorus class so my voice was better than most but it was clear to my ears that my voice hadn't been used musically for a while. I didn't have much time to think on that because the song was in full swing and a million things had been happening at once. The guards had rounded the corner after my verse and Al and I caught a ride on a rolling cart that happened to roll in front of us to throw them off.

"_One jump ahead of the law men, that's all and that's no joke."_

"_Those guys don't appreciate we're broke," _I had sang to Al in a casual manner both of us smiling as if this life or death chase was a game.

Al snatched bread from the woman who called us a nuisance and I hurriedly followed him running around then away from the woman.

"_Riff raff! Street rats! Scoundrels! Take that,"_ The guards and people around us shouted in anger the guard kicking us to our knees into the sand Al managing to keep a hold on the bread.

"_Just a little snack guys," _Al sang holding up the bread with the most innocent smile he could muster.

The guards were not impressed much less persuaded and took angry swings at our hands and necks all of which me and Al dogged with ease all while they sang with hissing anger, "_Rip them open! Take it back guys!"_

"_We can't take a hint we gotta face the facts. You and I could use a friend or two," _I sang to Al while the belly dancers standing next to us sang true in response and swung their hips at the guards distracting them. They had been the belly dancers that lived in the house al had broken into a few years before and since then they had been actually quite helpful by throwing off the guards if they ever came past. I knew it wasn't out of kindness that they just thought Al was adorable and he without his head or hands would be a tragedy for them but I took the help gladly, no matter what their motivation was.

"_Oh it's sad; Al and Sid have hit the bottom. They've become a two man rise in crime."_

Al and I had taken advantage of the distractions the belly dancers gave us and snuck onto a podium where another belly dancer was dancing. We stood behind her moving our arms in perfect sync with hers to fit into her dancing routine.

"_I'd blame parents except they haven't got 'em," _the woman sang.

"_Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat. Tell you all about it when I've got the time," _Al sang smiling at the belly dancer charmingly and I had rolled my eyes and hopped off the podium pulling Al by the vest down with me.

All the people and guards that had been looking for us shouted hey and ran over but Al and I cut quickly through the crowd leaving them in the dust.

"_One jump ahead of the slow pokes, one skip ahead of our doom. Next time we should use a nom de plume." _

I patted Al's shoulder and pointed to the vase of various colored feathers not too far from us and we ran over to it easily. To this day I still don't know what a nom de plume is or what it means. Guess I'll figure it out later. Getting back to the song, Al drew a white feather and I drew a white and blue one and we partook in a playful bout of sword fighting waving our feathers around clumsily laughing and singing at the same time.

"_One jump ahead of the hit men, one hit ahead of the flock," _Al sang and I nodded back.

That was when the others noticed us and we quickly hid our feathers behind our backs.

I turned to Al and sang, "_I think we'd better take a stroll around the block." _

Al nodded and we casually turned and speed walked away around another corner.

"_Stop thieves! Vandals! Outrage! Scandal," the townsfolk yelled angrily._

I knew that it had to be a song after those lines because the guards lifted us up on their shoulders in a Broadway fashion as Al sang, "_let's not be too hasty."_

The guards dropped us to our knees their swords held in front of them ready to swing. Behind them the woman and men were singing, "_Still I think he's/she's rather tasty."_

I remember deeply blushing. I was used to Al getting all the attention but the attention on me was rare and I had had no previous knowledge that half the men in the market found me attractive. It played to our advantage as the women behind the guard standing in front of us and the men behind the guard standing behind us passed a basket of cloth and a vase of water up their lines then dunked them over the guard's heads, giving us just enough time to make a getaway.

"_Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat! Otherwise, we'd get along," _I sang tensely then ran after the basket and vase went over their heads.

Al and I made a zoo of the market running through crowds of people the guard running with frustrated fueled anger after us, their swords held high above their heads ready to chop something off, whatever it may be.

Al and I sang these next lines as the guards and even some townsfolk chased after us, "_One jump ahead of the hoof beats, one hop ahead of the hump, one trip ahead of disaster, they're quick but we're much faster, here goes!"_

Al and I ran up to the very top of the nearest building the guards and all the people below staring after us. Al started the lyrics and we finished them together taking turns saying them until the end.

"_Better throw our hands in-_

"_Wish us a happy landin'-_

"_Cause all we gotta do is JUMP!"_

Jump we did. Luckily we landed on a canopy that fell on impact and knocked over the vendor's stand that we had stolen from to begin with and Al and I instinctively grabbed as many apples as we could. Jumping to our feet we ran off taking a turn through a thin alleyway which led back to the now empty market, the guards and other shoppers running off in the other direction looking for us. Al and I laughed and congratulated each other on the successful snatch with high fives.

Our celebration was cut short by a figure running into us and we quickly apologized and moved to let them through. It had been crystal clear it was princess Jasmine the moment I saw her. The way she was walking her cloak drawn close to her face her shoulders slumped forward, the way she moved so quickly through the crowd, and her familiar face all pointed to her identity.

"On second thought, maybe I'm not," Al said excitedly turning to me with a grin, "Maybe it was an act of fate."

I rolled my eyes and laid a hand on Al's shoulder, "Sure, lover boy, sure. Just go and talk to her already," I laughed and pulled him back over to her.

We took the chance to sneak in front of her as another woman selling bread offered her some, to which she declined and we both smiled when she turned to face us.

We both held out our apples and I asked, "Hungry?"

She looked at us trying to bite back a smile and turned away quickly blurting out, "You stole those no doubt!"

Al not willing to give up so easily ran in front of her arguing her point with, "With the way the sultan taxes his people we have no choice but to steal."

I followed quickly behind and nodded sadly. Her face seemed to fall a bit at the statement but she quickly asked an almost curious quality to her voice, "Do you always give away your stolen goods?"

"Only to the less fortunate than us," I replied without missing a beat and smiled sadly but genuinely.

"Or in your case," Al said his charming meter turned up full blast, "the more beautiful."

I wanted to giggle so badly but I controlled myself to avoid embarrassing Al. Jasmine smiled, obviously flattered, but tried to walk past him.

"You can't escape on an empty stomach," Al said not even bothering to chase after her since he knew she would come back.

"What makes you think I'm trying to escape from something?"

Al lifted his vest to his face hunched his shoulders and enacted an over the top version of Jasmines earlier behavior. I laughed out loud and shook my head.

"Is it that obvious," Jasmine asked almost worriedly.

I patted her shoulder, forgetting that she was the princess for a moment, and shook my head with a warm smiling looking at Al then rolling my eyes. It got a giggle out of her and she smiled widely to which I smiled to.

"The streets can be dangerous. You'll need a guide."

"Or better yet guides," I said leaning on Al giving him a pointed look for purposely trying to get rid of me. He smiled sheepishly and nodded his head in agreement.

Jasmine smiled but still looked unsure.

"What's wrong don't you trust us?"

Al and I gave our best smiles and Jasmine broke out in a smile to and took the apple Aladdin was offering and we knew we had won.

"You are both very kind."

"The names Aladdin and this is my sister Sidney, but most people just call us-

"Street rats!"

Our hands that had been shaking wretched apart and the guards quickly advanced on us and restrained us.

"No use in running this time, we've got you surrounded."

"Would you look at this, it seems The White Phantom of Agrabah," the lead guard spat glaring daggers at me to which I replied with an ugly sneer, "has found yet another accomplice."

"What," Jasmine asked confused.

"Didn't you know? The boy was roped into stealing by this demon when he was very young. She's a devil that I recommend you should avoid."

Al snarled at the guard and yelled back, "That's a lie! She saved my life! If anyone's a devil here it's you!"

The guard approached Al threateningly and I stepped forward in warning.

"Leave the girl out of this," I hissed, "She had nothing to do with the theft. We merely gave her the apple out of kindness."

"Unhand me this instant," Jasmine cried with indignity.

The lead guard waved his hand and Jasmine was thrown into the sand. I knew how that felt.

"Stop calling them street rats and especially demon! They are people, just like you or me," Jasmine replied pulling the cloak around her face to hide it from the guards.

"Would you listen to the little vagabond," a guard yelled out, "the way she's ordering us around you'd think that she's the princess of Agrabah herself."

The guards and even the people around all laughed mockingly. I wrenched myself from the guards gripped got onto my knees and bowed in preparation of what was to come. Jasmine, who had been at the end of her rope, stood throwing the cloak to the ground revealing her crown.

"I _am_ the princess of Agrabah."

The crowd hit the ground quicker than mice run to garbage, and al was enjoying how fast the guards groveled at the feet of the princess. He quickly realized that he too should bow and hit the ground with a thump beside me.

"And as she, I demand that you set these two poor peasants free immediately or I shall report every single one of you to the sultan."

The leader looked up at the princess and replied, "A hundred apologies your majesty but we were merely following the law and with all due respect, it is your father who makes the laws not you, you highness."

"It's alright, Princess Jasmine," I said looking Jasmine in the eye with a smile to hers, "I appreciate the effort."

"Yeah, thanks for the thought," Al added then we both looked at each other than bowed to the ground again.

"You are to do nothing with them until I speak with my father."

The guards nodded at the ground and Jasmine kneeled before us and touched both of our hands.

"I promise that this will all be resolved before any harm comes to either of you."

I smiled and nodded and jasmines smiled and walked off.

"You're in my way," Jasmine said shortly before leaving.

"A thousand pardons…your majesty," the lead guard spat mockingly.

The people around laughed and the guard shouted, "Nothing to see here! Get back to work!"

They scrambled leaving the market empty.

"You may think that you have friends in high places. But no matter what the princess says we are allowed to handle thieves as we see fit, right here!"

The guards shoved Al's arm out and forced me to my knees exposing my neck.

The lead guard chuckled evilly and said in a slimy voice, "I have been waiting for years for this."

I could hear Al struggling behind me and I clenched my eyes shut waiting for the blade.

"STOP EVERYTHING! Stop everything! There you are my children, you mother and I have been so worried," a man with a walking stick, hunch, and gray hair hidden in a turban cried pulling us from the guards and over a little ways away.

"And you would be," Al asked guardedly while he scooted closer to me.

"Play along, boy unless you want you and your friend to sleep with the dungeon mice tonight. Or worse," the man said making his way back to the guards.

"I'm the children's father."

"Right," Al said in a victorious manner, "He's the boy's father."

I had elbowed him hard in the stomach and he had flinched away and rubbed his stomach as he apologized to my glare.

"Always getting into trouble these two are," the man said with a chuckle, "But they are good children. True hearts and noble of spirit. You might even call them diamonds in the rough."

I knew that Al fit the bill but I wasn't so sure I did.

The guard rushed forward but the old man, who I knew was Jafar, held up a hand and said, "Whatever the children has stolen, this, should more than repay the debt. You should notice that I've added some extra gold coins for all your hard work."

The lead Guard looked into the sack and glared hard at me.

"Well," the guard said glaring at me. He hated my guts I knew but his greed was overpowering and he would rather take the gold than my head, "Seeing as the debt had been repaid, and then some, you are both free to go. But _don't _let us catch either one of you again."

"Believe me that's the plan," Al said relatively innocently and the guards rushed forward only to be blocked by the old man pointing to the sack of gold.

"Let's go."

The guards left and once they had walked out of sight the old man laughed, "Well, that was easy enough."

"Why did you help me and my…friend out like that?"

"Oh, just compassionate I guess."

I nodded, but knowing the true identity of the old man I knew that he hadn't done that out of pure compassion. Jafar wanted us to go to the cave of wonders.

"But one good deed," Jafar said pulling Al to him by the shoulder "deserves another."

Al looked over at me and said, "How did I know there was a catch?"


	7. Of Caves and Genie's

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin: movie, musical, TV series, or original tale. I only own Sid.**

We had walked for hours to the dreaded cave. I had almost wished we could have just hopped there like in the play after treading through scalding hot sand with bare feet and an empty belly. How many hours it took I can't remember but it must have been many for when we finally approached the cave's entrance dusk had just settled onto the desert. The guardian of the entrance was waiting for us and fear and awe filled me as I gazed up at the magnificent magical, and most likely ancient, being. Jafar threw us in the sight of the guardian and in turn the guardian gazed down at us sand trickling from its head from the movement.

My pulse escalated and fear filled me making my body turn cold, even in the hot desert air. The cave looked down at us with a piercing glare and I could feel that he was looking into my soul. Cliché I know but I can describe it no other way. The cave was prodding my mind easily gathering every little single memory and thought and it was making me shake with fear. Al would've been completely fine. He was the true diamond in the rough. I wasn't so sure that I would be so luckily. To top it off its eyes were a hellish red color and its mouth filled with sharp fangs. How easy had it been for the cave to chop through the less worthy when they tried to enter? The thought had made me shudder.

Al had then noticed my fear and slipped his hand, which by then had grown bigger than mine, into my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was comforting but it didn't lessen my fear in any way.

"Who dares approach The Cave of Wonders," The guardian bellowed in a deep gravelly voice that made the hair on my neck stand on end, "Only the diamonds in the rough may enter, all else will perish."

I shuddered at the promise and Al yanked me away from the jaws, which we had been standing dangerously close to, and turned to the old man and shouted, "I don't like those odds!"

"Not to worry, Aladdin. For I have consulted with an ancient oracle! You and your friend are the diamonds in the rough."

It was then that Iago made his presence known and squawked, "Yep! Yep! Get inside!"

Iago was no puppet in this world. He looked like a real parrot down to his bright feathers, the cocking of his head, and his beady eyes that instead of looking adorable and innocent looked greedy and evil. I wanted to throw a rock at the overgrown pigeon. He was holding out a wing at the entrance and I sneered at him.

"I've changed my mind about this! Come on Sid!"

Al tried to run but Jafar was not about to let him run off. He blocked his path with his cane and forced him back into the sand dune.

"Go fetch me that lamp! The both of you! Or I'll return you to the palace guards!"

Al tried to argue with him but Jafar would hear nothing, "Go now, there's no time to waste! And remember touch only the lamp!"

Al looked up at me his face morphing back into that little kid who had looked lost and had wanted to tag along with me to our hovel and I sighed and shrugged. I cautiously stepped inside the great beasts jaws and sat on his enormous tongue that slightly bobbed with the great beast breaths. Behind us was an evil wizard hungry for control below us a pitch black abyss leading to the belly of the cave. Not good either way for us. Al and I gave one another one last look sharing our mutual fear and concern but we knew we couldn't back out.

"Here goes nothing," Al all but huffed and I nodded and we slid down the tongue to the throat of the guardian down into the black abyss.

The fall for all my fear wasn't that bad. The plunge in reality was a few feet onto the first step. The real scary part was almost falling down the incredibly long staircase down trying to catch my balance. Al saved my hide and grabbed me then we both had to play log rider trying to balance ourselves out. Both of us let out a large breath of relief when we were finally balanced and safe. Up above us I could hear Iago and Jafar talking but it was muffled in the cave.

"Only touch the lamp!"

We heard that loud and clear and in response I yelled out, "Kay!"

"Got it," was Al's response.

Ever so carefully we climbed the steps deeper and deeper into the cave. Eventually my eyes adjusted and our pace increased as our view of the stairs became clearer. One of the things I had begun to hate was the time reality that being a part of this story was. Everything had a realistic time, the walk to the cave had taken forever and the walk into the cave itself was taking forever to. How deep did this cave go? It seemed like it had been going on forever. Of course Al and I spoke throughout our little hike to keep up good spirits most of it dialogue from the musical.

"Only touch the lamp. Only touch the lamp. Only touch the lamp. Only touch the lamp."

"Okay Al, you're really starting to bum me out," I had said in a tired but amused way.

"Sorry," Al said with a smile no doubt on his face.

"Hello! Is anybody down there?"

"I doubt it Al. The cave did say only we could enter and all others…perish."

Al didn't answer me but his hand still holding mine started to sweat a little.

"Sure is dark. How did we get into this?"

I shrugged which caused our shoulders to brush at how close we stood to avoid falling off the stairs.

"I think that trouble just follows us, but, that's my opinion."

We were quiet for a few moments then Al said with a grimace in his voice, "Not so sure this is any better than the palace dungeon."

"Look, let's just get down there, grab the lamp, give it to the old geezer and we'll call it a night."

By then we had finally made it to the bottom of the cave and Al had let go of my hand and was wiping his hands on his pants, the resounding flap echoing in the abandoned cave.

"One jump ahead of the law men. One swing ahead of the sword."

"Better throw our hands in," I sang back, "Wish us a happy landin'."

We followed a carved path with walls around us which I slammed into more than once from lack of vision because the lighting varied through the path.

"One jump ahead of disaster. One skip…ahead of our doom."

"Wow Al, could you make the moment any more dramatic," I asked sarcasm dripping off every word.

Al shrugged and gave me a weak glare and we walked into the main cave. The first thing I noticed were the stalactites hanging precariously from the roof of the cave. All of them looked very sharp and from where I stood they didn't look all that stable either. Luckily, there was no water dripping from them so I hadn't had to worry about getting wet. We both walked uncertainly into the room our steps echoing through the cave. Then the lighting caught the objects that filled the cave and a bright gold light illuminated the cave. The amount of treasure hidden in the cave could have made a hundred princess dowry's with plenty to spare.

Gold statues stood tall against the mounds of gold and priceless silks, they varied in origin, some Egyptian, others distinctly Arabian. Chest upon chest of rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and gold coins were scattered among the other priceless objects. It was truly a sight to behold. I stood still for a moment basking in the sheer amount of gold that lay in this place. I was lost in my thoughts of greed as I thought of all the things I could buy Al and myself with this amount of money. But eventually the shimmering gold's spell wore off and I slowly snapped back to the task we had been sent down there to do. We were not there to fill our pockets with gold we were there to fetch the lamp. That was the fatal trap the cave set. Any greedy individual would take their fill of this bountiful treasure and leave leaving the ordinary lamp behind, never knowing that the lamp was worth a thousand fillings of this treasure alone.

Al had also been sucked into the gold's trance laughing and skipping around in glee at the sheer amount of gold around us.

"Al!"

Al turned to me blinking at me as if he had been in a daze and I gave him a stern look.

"Only touch the lamp! I don't want this to be my grave, do you?"

Al shook his head his earlier happiness gone and I nodded, "Kay. Then help me find this lamp," I murmured pretending to look around when I knew exactly where it was. I waited near the pedestal which the lamp sat on and waited for Al to inform me that it sat behind me. When he did I turned and smiled at him and gave him a pat on the back.

"Good work, now give me a boost."

Al smiled and kneeled down so I could climb onto his shoulders and once I had done so he stood up and walked me up to the lamp. Now I could have easily grabbed it and that would have been that but I had been worried how the story would change if I didn't touch something. Luckily, I didn't have to decide because for whatever reason Al lost his balance and sent me crashing into an Egyptian pole that crashed onto the stone floor. I had managed to grab the lamp in a quick reflexive arm slash and I held it to my cheek as I held my arms in front of my face bracing for impact with the stone floor. The impact wasn't that bad but the rumbling of the cave was pretty bad.

I deep growling filled the cave and the whole cave trembled, bolts of lightning so bright they had made me flinch and clench my eyes filled they cave as well, and the stalactites above us had been coming down with the force of the caves movements. More than once I had to duck and roll to avoid impalement from one of the sharp slabs of stone but an even worse fate was coming for us when the cave walls started to collapse on us. During this time Al had tried to reason with the cave that it had merely been an accident but it was futile. Al gave up his apologies when the rocks really started to rain down and he grabbed me and we jumped away from the rock and ducked.

When the chaos seemed to have finally blown over Al and I peeked around at the disaster area the cave had become. The lighting was dim, not pitch black thank goodness, but it wasn't clearly lit. Rock laid where the beautiful treasure once sat and the pile made my heart, and undoubtedly Al's heart, sink to my toes. That was our only escape route and now it was blocked by an avalanche that would take weeks or months to clear away by hand.

"Great. That's just great," Al moaned sadly.

"Now how are we supposed to get out of here? This isn't fair," Al called out to the empty shadows of the cave, "Somebody! Somebody, let us out of here," Al called out desperately at the stone ceiling.

I shook my head heavily and answered Al's desperation with calm gloom, "Save your breath Al. We're miles underground. Not even a person with supersonic hearing would be able to hear us."

"We gotta try," Al argued and ran up to the pile of rocks and continued to desperately yell, "Somebody! Anybody! Ah!"

I spun my head over to see the commotion and I found Al sitting on the stone floor staring at a kneeled ball of cloth. I ran over to Al's side and helped him up and we watched as the carpet peered over at us.

"Hey," I greeted happily.

The carpet to me was astounding. For the simple fact that she was a carpet woman. It's strange to describe but in the reality of the musical it was still a woman as carpet with a human head but her hair was literally rope. It looked attached to her head and it was coiled around her head as such. The most astounding thing of all was that the carpet itself was almost like her skin. I could see definite outlines of a body in the fabric but it looked so skinny like they were just bones.

That's when it hit me. They were bones. The carpet fabric acted as her skin and muscles and you know what it really looked like it too. The fabric moved like skin when Carpet moved casually it bent to her body and looked like it was attached to the bones underneath. Other times her skin would become more carpet like, it would become stiff and solid and her body would stiffen to make herself almost flat. It was really quite amazing to see and it still boggles me.

"Are you stuck here to," I asked.

Carpet pouted and hung her arms and carpet fabric skin sadly.

"We know how you feel," I said sympathetically.

"The names Aladdin and that's my sister Sidney."

We held out our hands and carpet swung her tassels our in return. I giggled and shook the tassel offered to me and watched as Al and carpet turned to the wall.

"This way looks blocked. You got any other ideas?"

I had to stifle a laugh when carpet copied Al's scratching thoughtfully act. I learned quickly that carpet, having no ability to speak, often imitated the words and actions of others. And yet, I always felt that carpet had a distinct personality all her own at the same time. Al and carpet turned finishing their thinking session and having spotted something behind me Carpet cartwheeled and slid over to the lamp. I was shocked to find I had dropped it and even more shocked to see that it hadn't been crushed to a paperweight by a rock. Carpet was lying on her belly staring at the lamp dreamily with her head rested on her hands and Al looked at the lamp with annoyance.

"Oh that," Al had said with irritation and slight anger, "I know _all _about that. All these work…for some measly piece of JUNK!"

Carpet looked up with expression that suggested surprised offense and she waved her tassels over the lamp excitedly looking up at Al with expectancy.

"I've got no idea what you're trying to say."

The next minute and a half was spent with carpet flustered and very much frustrated at the lack of compression with her charade language, desperately spun her tassels around the lamp. Al kneeled at her side his face morphing into several different expressions of confusion and frustration as he had desperately tried to make sense of what she was saying. I was left on the sidelines wanting so badly to just throw my hands in the air and grab Al's hands and rub the blasted lamp for him. Yet, somehow I remained quiet and watched this frustrating and torturously long affair.

After three minutes of this torture and all the caves occupants very much frustrated al threw his hands up in exasperation and snapped, "I'm sorry but I've got no idea what you're saying!"

Al stomped off in a rush and hurried off to the rock pile and heatedly searched for some other escape route. Carpet's face fell into a sad frown and I patted her shoulder almost flinching away when I felt bone beneath the thick carpet material.

"Don't feel bad. Al's just upset. He doesn't mean it."

Carpet smiled at my words of comfort and her face suddenly lit up and she waved her tassels excitedly over my shoulder then waved her tassels over the lamp. Everything froze for me. I could rub the lamp and win the service of the Genie held within or I could call Al and just tell him to rub the lamp himself. The obvious choice should have been to call Al over but between Carpets excited urging and my own thoughts I had already grabbed the lamp and laid my hand on the lamps belly. I was taken aback by how warm the lamp was. It was only natural after years of information about metal that I had assumed the lamp metal would have been icy cold.

It was the exact opposite. The lamps metal was very warm in fact it felt almost…alive. It only served to increase the temptation of rubbing the lamp when I could feel the evidence of life contained in the lamp. It was so hard, so hard trying not to rub the lamp when it would have been so easy. I felt like Pandora opening the box that held all the worlds' horrors and sickness. Except the Genie would never unleash that unless I wished for it and why in the hell would I wish for something like that? I had looked over at Al hoping that he would turn and take the lamp from me but he was still wandering around the cave.

I glanced at carpet and she was waving her tassels with a grin just egging me on to rub. I'd like to think that the universe was just telling me to do it and that I had been destined to rub the lamp since I was there. I'd like to think that but the more logical part of my brain says that I just wanted to see the Genie and I wanted to have a part in this story other than tag along and be Al's sister. Either way, whether it was fate or just my own choice I hesitantly rubbed the palm of my hand against the smooth bronze metal of the lamp.

The lamp jumped at the sudden touch and I almost dropped it out of surprise and just barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground. Probably wouldn't have gotten Genie's good graces if I just dropped his lamp after a teasing rub. I looked up at carpet for some reason feeling I had to have her approval to rub and she pushed her tassels urging me to continue. So feverishly I waved my hand against the lamp and then the fun really started. The lamp itself started bugging out shaking violently in my hands. Most times when you hold an object that seems lifeless and it just jumps out of nowhere the first instinct you have is to drop it. I would have done that except I was unable to do so.

My hands were literally glued to the lamp and no matter how hard I tried to wrench my hands away I couldn't. On top of that the lamp's temperature had escalated and it had been beginning to burn the skin of my hands a bit. To add to the interesting aspect the lamp pulled me. Literally pulled me around like a puppet and I had no choice but to run after the pull or eat the stone floor. Al had noticed my struggles by then and ran to my side alarmed.

"Sid, what's wrong?"

"The lamp! I can't let go of the lamp!"

Al took a firm grip on my wrist and pulled.

"Al!"

"I'm sorry! But it won't come off!"

The lamp jolted again forcing me to leap away knocking Al to the ground. By that point, smoke was billowing from the lamp in great amounts and the entire cave clouded with blue silvery smoke. I coughed but I found the smoke wasn't suffocating like most smoke was after a few seconds. It was almost comfortingly warm and smelled of pleasant smelling wood roasting over a fire. It was impossible to see anything around me but through the smoke a booming and very ecstatic voice called from the smoke.

"Heeerrrreeeesssssss Genie!"

The smoke evaporated at the sound of the voice and from the smoke emerged the figure of the Genie. He like carpet looked like the actor that played him but his body and complexion sure didn't look like a costume. His muscles, beard, ears, and blue skin looked absolutely real. After the years of living in Agrabah and seeing the carpet you wouldn't think that I would be surprised or blown away by seeing the Genie. But…I was. I can't explain it, just seeing him standing there laughing and grinning like a fool but with such genuine excitement you couldn't help but find him charming, just blew me away. It was almost like seeing a celebrity, you know they're people just like you but the fact that they are world famous just makes them seem different.

It didn't help that the Genie was a magical being that could bend the universe with a single snap of his fingers. The more I thought on that the more frightened I became. Get on this guy's bad side and he could perform very unnatural and horrible thing to you that the human mind probably never even thought of. Then I remembered this was The Genie! Genie! The jokester! I was probably getting all riled up over nothing. I was. He turned to me and gave me the biggest grin that had ever been directed at me.

"Thanks kid," Genie said genuinely thankful, "You have got no idea what it's like to be trapped inside that tiny little lamp for the past ten THOUSAND years twenty-two hours and fifty three seconds," Genie tiredly groaned bending over holding his back as if he had pulled it.

I could only stand there and nod in agreement that I had no idea what that was like when I spotted Al still on the floor looking shocked beyond belief and I picked him up brushing him off as I half listened to Genie say, "Whoa! Whoa, hold on, look at that! Look at that right there! I gotta call Genie Craig. I must look terrible!"

Al had been looking at the lamp as I watched Genie peering into it through the nozzle as if he would find some sort of explanation on how a full grown man could physically fit inside such a small space. When Genie rushed up to us Al instinctively backed away from the strange individual coming towards us except he grabbed my hand to pull me back to and I went and fell on my butt on the stone floor. I glared at Al but he didn't seem to notice and I pulled his hand from mine and stood up brushing myself off and replied, "Don't worry about it. Trust me you look fabulous for ten thousand years and counting," I said doing my best impression of Pewdiepie.

Genie chuckled and stepped closer to me.

"Aw…well aren't you just sweet! But I gotta ask you one question and you gotta be like…totally honest okay?"

I nodded bobbing the lamp along with a shrug and turned to Genie with a face that said whatever.

"Do I have lamp breath," and he proceeded to breathe right onto my face.

I took a long step back with a tight face at how strongly his breath smelled like barbeque coals and…some sort of junk food but I managed a smile and shook my head.

"No…no, you're good."

By then Al had woken up from his daze and draped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me against him wearing a strained face that just shouted, 'I don't know you! I don't like you! Step away from the girl!'

"Who are you," Al all but growled at Genie.

Genie didn't take any offense. If anything he was amused.

"Boyfriend?"

"Brother," I replied rolling my eyes.

Genie nodded and his grin only seemed to spread wider.

He laid a hand on Al's shoulder that Al looked at with only mild discomfort, "I am Oprah's long lost sister."

I belt out laughing at that and it stood out horribly in the silence of the empty cave. Carpet that I had spotted standing a few feet away was laughing too. Genie gave a wheezy chuckle and playfully punched Al's shoulder.

"Come on pal, loosen up. I am a Genie," He cried spreading his arms for dramatic effect, "And you know what that means don't ya?"

Genie looked between us nodding his head and I played the dumb card and shook my head while Al shook his head clueless as well.

Genie shook his head at our lack of knowledge and replied, "Well, it means that you," he said pointing at me, "have got three! Count 'em: Uno, duos, three wishes coming your way."

"I do," I asked honestly stunned. Hearing it straight from the mouth of the Genie really sealed the deal.

"You do," Genie said playfully tapping my nose, "But, before we do that," Genie said placing a warm hand on my shoulder. I nearly jumped at the differences of temperatures of our skin. His was incredibly warm and mine was incredibly cold, "Let's go over the Genie rule book shall we, Hun? Get thing's off in the right direction, kay sport?"

He playfully punched my arm and I took a glance back at Al still slightly suspicious but had relented to watching the exchange a little ways away. Carpet had been standing next to him reassuring him that Genie was no threat through another round of charades.

"Rule number one, there is no wishing for more wishes. I just can't do it captain! I don't have the poooweeerrr," Genie said vibrating his throat at the last word.

Give me a break here. I was twelve when I got thrown into this world and I didn't know every reference the Genie did but despite that I did giggle softly at his constant jokes and puns. Although I was blushing because he had leaned dangerously close to my face when he was saying it. He pushed me lightly to the side and I followed and looked at him for the next rule.

"Rule number two, just like Dr. Phil I cannot make anybody fall in love with ya. You don't need my help with that with those dreamboat blue eyes you've got."

Genie grinned at me and bashfully I looked away my cheeks were probably a cherry red.

"Which Segway's into rule number three; I can't bring people back from the dead," Genie growled sinisterly dragging his leg and holding his arm in an akward position as if he was a zombie.

Carpet who I hadn't notice till she shuffled past me had been imitating Genie through all the rules.

"Except for the new kids on the block," Genie said doing a little dance jig that wasn't half bad.

"You brought them back," I asked because I thought that they had died out permanently then I remembered, "Ah, all boy bands get resurrected though…"

I turned to Al and he was looking at me worriedly undoubtedly from the fact I understood what was going on and I shrugged and gave him a defensive look. He shrugged in return and went to stand next to me. Genie was still dancing with Carpet next to him and I was giggling at how much fun the two were having.

"Let me get this straight," Al said knocking Genie out of his fun zone and both he and Carpet turned to Al giving him full attention, "You're her master and you're just _giving _her three wishes," Al asked skeptically and I couldn't blame him. It did seem too good to be true.

Genie who had been resting his hands on the red sequent band of his harem pants lifted his hands up and simply said, "Yep. Man I thought the echo was bad inside the lamp. Buddy, it's what we genie's do."

Al completely at ease with the added reassurance grinned and almost fist pumped the air. I was rubbing my sore cheeks from all the smiling I was doing. I hadn't smiled this much at one time for years.

"Technically that's all we genie's do. Sure it sounds like a glamorous gig but you gotta spend your whole life trapped inside a lamp. Handing out wish after wish after wish with…well…with no freedom of your own."

I never thought that the genie gig was fabulous. Just sayin. I guess he meant the phenomenal cosmic powers Genie's possess but…what would I do if I had all that power. I'd probably go and do nice things for everyone anyway. With all the power, it would seem a waste if I never used any of it. Plus, being a prisoner of the lamp sounded awful. All alone for_ ten thousand years? _It sounded like a punishment for murder if you ask me. I wouldn't have survived. Hell, I barely survived the three years on the street alone. Al seemed to swoop in at just the right time and saved me from permanent depression. I know that Genie was immortal so the passage of time was infinite for him so he had no need to count time but…all alone!? It sounded so awful and why was he to be forever cursed to live in a lamp? Because he was a genie. Talk about being dealt the shittiest hand ever.

My face fell with dismal thoughts and I absent mindedly traced the carved designs along the lamp. Glancing up at genie every other second to watch as he stared longingly at his manacles and dropped them into his hands. Each time the manacle made a heavy thump when it hit his palm and I almost cringed. They must have weighed a lot.

"Oh hey now, what am I talking about me for?"

I looked at him and gave a crooked smile, "Because you're awesome."

Genie stopped and stared at me and Al joined him and I shrugged and looked around frantically, "Hey, take it or leave it. I'm trying to lift the mood here!"

Genie grinned and I could already feel the waves of regret for blowing up his ego run through me.

"Right you are. But this is your lucky day, Hun, not mine. And you've got no idea what's in store friend!"

I jumped as the loud music filled the once silent cave and Genie and Carpet danced around. Genie pulled his arms in to the beat and it somehow made me bounce forward. This song was one of the most strange but fun things I had done at that point in time. Genie was controlling me with magic to make me move with the choreography of the song. It was honestly one of the coolest feelings in the world. I knew right off the bat it was magic there was no other word to describe the feeling in my body and I moved without thought to the music. It was tingly and warm and not at all uncomfortable or frightening. In fact, once I calmed down and went along with the dance it became ten times more fun.

At first, I was not okay with it at all. No matter how cool it felt it still felt strange and I didn't like being controlled even if it was just for dancing. In fact my face was stuck in a frown for the first part of the song.

"_Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves __Scheherezad-ie_ _had a thousand tales," _Genie sang stepping closer to me in rhythm to the beat while I slowly backed up.

"_Well, master you're in luck cause up your sleeve you've got a brand of magic that never fails," _Genie sang with a smile pulling up my arm and dancing his fingers over it then laying a hand on my shoulder and walked us across the cave floor using his free hand to stop me grabbing my other shoulder lightly.

"_You've got some power in your corner now. Some heavy ammunition in your camp," _Genie sang doing an impression of Arnold S. then punching the air at the side of my head making me stumble back as if I had actually been punched.

"_You've got some punch, pizazz, yahoo and how? All you gotta do is rub that lamp and I'll say: Mademoiselle, Sidney Ma'am what will your pleasure be? Let me take your order jot it down you aint never had a friend like me! No, no, no!"_

Genie spun me around in a circle then beckoned Carpet and Al over with his fingers and to my surprise Al was helping carpet wheel out a dining cart and Al looked so confused it made me laugh. Genie hopped over and he slipped on the black with red sequent jacket on that the confused Al and overjoyed Carpet was holding up for him.

"_Life is your restaurant and I'm your __maître d'__! Come one whisper what it is you want you aint ever had a friend like me. Yes ma'am we-_

"_Pride ourselves on service! You're the boss! The queen! The shah! Say what you wish it's your true dish! How about a little more baklava!"_

Genie pulled me over to him to whisper in his ear only to move back and lift the lid off the dining plate to reveal and exact copy of him only it was just a head. It was amazing! It was an exact copy! It looked like him, moved like him, and sounded like him. Curiously I brushed to curl of his ponytail of jet black hair and the head smiled and nodded his head to me before the real Genie covered it with the dish cover.

"_Try some of column A! Try all of column B! I'm in the mood to like help you dude, you aint ever had a friend like me," _Genie sang showing me a menu but before I could lean in closer to read it he slapped it shut almost catching my nose. I held my nose protectively as Genie laid his elbow on my shoulder doing the hang loose hand symbol then lightly pushed me to the side for the next part of the song.

Al ran over to me and sat down and we both smiled at the amazing show. Genie had ducked behind carpet and was doing scat routines with Carpet making goofy but funny face to the various noises and words Genie was making, while Genie peeked out behind her once in a while.

"_Wah, Wah, Wah!"_

"_Oh my!"_

"_Wah, Wah, Wah!"_

"_Zop Doo Zay!"_

"_Blah, Blah, Blah!"_

"_Skippidy dop bedoo dee! Boom!"_

"_Can your friends do this," _Genie asked me with a grin smoke shooting out of his fingers to the side where an exact replica of him jumped out of and did a perfect split in the air making the landing.

"_Can you friends do that," _the next Genie replica did a few flips then turned to the original Genie while another came from the same smoke cloud and walked behind carpet.

"_Can your friends pull this," _Genie sang reaching into a top hat that a replica held out for him and pulled out a beautiful bouquet of lilies, white and red roses, a few baby breath flowers scattered amongst the larger flowers, a few Orchids, and white with purple patterned Alstroemeria. It was absolutely gorgeous. All my favorite flowers. Genie looked to me and kneeled down and handed me the bouquet with a charming smile and a wink and I grinned bashfully up at him and took the flowers from him, "_out of their little hat!"_

He pulled another bouquet of flowers that I didn't know the names of but they were equally beautiful and matched carpets cloth design and Carpet took them with a smile and danced over to the replica Genie waiting for her.

"_Can your friends go poof," _Genie shouted as the replica tossed Carpet with his arm movement command in the air with a trail of smoke following her up and she flipped back down into the replica's arms safely and I sighed in relief. He had tossed her awful high, "_well, looky here," _Genie sang while his replica spun Carpet around then set her on her feet in time with his arms.

"_Can your friends go Abracadabra, let a rip, and make the sucker disappear," _Genie sang as he folded his arms out in front of him nodded his head and carpet disappeared in a cloud of smoke and with it both Carpet's and my bouquet of flowers. I had clawed the air trying to grab it back but I sighed with acceptance that it was a temporary thing. Genie wanted to show off his powers but I really wanted to keep the bouquet! It had been so beautiful! I stood up and Al did the same next to me and I stretched a little forcing the pins and needles out of my legs.

"_Here comes my posse!"_

Then seemingly out of nowhere the area of the cave doubled and a Las Vegas styled stage was set in front of us and a dozen of Genie replicas ran out. I backed up from the sheer amount of what was going on and blinked a few times as well.

"_Don't you sit there slack jawed boogey eyed! I'm here to answer all your midday prayers! You got me Bone fide certified, you got the genie for your charged affairs," _Genie continued doing a little Elvis impression…I think, at bone fide certified.

The grin on my face seemed to be growing ever wider and I stole a glance at Al to see he was just as enthused and amazed by this as I was. He caught my eyes and grin at me and I grinned back lightly shoving him. We didn't have much time to do this when the lamp pulled me towards a line of three Genies' and Al who was standing confused next to them. On the beat I leaped into their awaiting arms and they gently bobbed me to the beat.

"_Yo, I got a powerful urge to help you out! What you wish, I really want to know! You got a list that's three miles long no doubt and all you gotta do is rub like so and oh!"_

The Genie's and Al put me down and I patted Al's shoulder grinning and laughing until I watched him run after Genie up the stairs and before I could call him back a pair of hands wrapped around my waist and I knew immediately what he was planning.

"Wait NO! NO!"

The replica paid no attention to me and he lifted me easily over head by my hips and I held onto his shoulders the lamp dangling from my pinkie finger! He spun me around so many times my head started to spin then he slid me around his waist while I clung to his neck. When he finally put me down I shook my head with a scared look and the replica just grinned at me and nodded. He grabbed my hands then slid me under his legs where I slid across the stone floor into Carpet. We grabbed each other's hands pulled towards one another and pulled ourselves up then did a little jig in a circle. Not as bad as I thought but it still wasn't really fun considering I had been frightened of falling.

"Where's Al," I said rather windedly.

She grinned and waved her tassels in the direction of the stage. I almost fell over laughing at the sight at the top of the stairs. Genie, the real one was at the front and poor Al was at the back wearing an identical jacket and hat as the other genies and carrying a cane and looking ridiculously out of place and confused but it made me smile to see him up there.

"_Look out here comes Honey Boo Boo!"_

I laughed as the lamp pulled me and Genie used his magic to make me kick my legs up in time with him, the replicas, and Al. Even Carpet was doing it behind me. I kicked my way over to the stairs as Genie kicked down the stairs.

"_Mademoiselle, Sidney ma'am, what will your pleasure be! Let me take your order jot it down. Booyah!"_

Genie waved his cane making me go slide off to the side while carpet climbed a few of the steps and Al was following the backup genies.

"_Come on; whisper what it is you want!"_

Genie twirled his cane pulling me back over to him and once I had gotten into position he twirled his cane and held it out in front of me.

"_Let's take it home,"_ Genie told me with a grin that could have lit up the entire stage, a grin that contained nothing but pure enjoyment of his work of magic. I grabbed the end of the cane and bobbed with an equally large smile and hummed along with genie's voice and the music.

"_Mademoiselle Sidney Ma'am, have a wish or two or three! I'm on the job you little heartthrob."_

I blushed so red at that statement and it didn't help Genie gave me the biggest teasing smile ever. Out of all the lyrics that Genie chose to change it was those and replaced them with the most teasing words ever! Look I didn't think I was ugly or anything but…I wasn't used to this! I had grown real flustered real fast and I just knew that Al had been laughing at me.

"_You aint never had a friend! Never had a friend!"_

"_Sing it!"_

"_Never had a friend! Never had a friend!"_

"_You aint ever! Had a! Friend like me!"_

We finished the dance with a jump and he held out his hand with an honest smile that just yelled, 'no hard feelings right! I'm just teasing you.' I gave him a smile that said, 'yeah I know and I actually find it really funny' and I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. The backup Genie continued to dance and do scat behind us and just when I finally thought it was over I felt that same warm tingly feeling rush up my spine and my feet took off at a full out run.

"Genie! Stop!"

It was pointless I knew. Genie couldn't hear me over all the music and voices and even if he had I doubted he would have wasted this golden opportunity to have more fun with his new master. I ran up at the stairs and suddenly stopped on the same stair Carpet was chilling on. Then my knees bent and my thighs tightened and I closed my eyes in the torture that was about to ensue. Out of my control I went flipping through the air entirely tied to the beat doing four flips to get off the stairs and close enough to Genie then probably defying every known law of physics known to modern man I flew into the air completing three perfect flips and landed in a perfect split holding up the lamp that I had forgot I was even holding. Al had subtly slid his way next to me looking up at the lamp and Carpet had sometime done the same and we ended in a picture perfect pose. The cave went completely dark, the music stopped, and the same pleasant smell of smoke filled my nostrils and that was the end of that.


	8. Becoming Royalty

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin; the movie, musical, TV series, or the original legend. I only own Sid.**

The smoke soon evaporated and the cave was left in its original dismal empty state with the exception of one Genie standing smugly a few feet in front of Al, Carpet, and I. His arms were crossed in front of his chest tightly and he wore a grin that just shouted the pride he felt about the spectacular demonstration of his magic. Genie lifted his arms up and grinned, "Huh? So what do ya think?"

"I think I need…I need help," I bluntly said when I tried to move from my split and found myself unable to do so. Al and Carpet stood and grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet, "Thank you! Now all I need is a coffee break," I said holding my head laughing as I stood to my feet Al and Carpet following suit.

"That was amazing," Al cried a joyous grin plastered on his cheeks.

"Most fun we've had in a while," I agreed looking at him then at the floor shaking my legs ridding them of the tingles that had been clinging to them.

Genie shrugged with a grin and I almost rolled my eyes. Pretty self-confident and smug, I noticed. Then again, he had the right to be. He was a freakin genie! Genie turned to me and his face while still holding that smile suddenly adopted a mature and respectful air instead of the smug pride that had been there before. He bowed low, his arms still crossed, all the way over then bowed back up and asked, "What is your heart's desire oh mast-e-eress, miss, um…ma'am?"

I giggled at his stumble and I looked up at him mouth open wide as if something grand was about to come out. Carpet, Al, and Genie leaned forward in anticipation waiting to hear my great first wish. I sat motionless for a second then snapped my mouth shut and slumped over.

"I don't know."

"You don't know," Al asked dumbly.

I looked up at Al and all I could do was shrug.

"Sidney, are you kidding! You can wish for anything!"

"Nu uh, I can't wish for more wishes, I can't raise the dead, and I can't make anyone fall in love with me," I said in a smart-alecky manner.

Al not amused answered, "You know what I mean."

"Hey Genie," I asked looking curiously up at the blue figure himself.

He looked over with a friendly smile eyes wide eager to please, "What can I do for ya?"

"I got a question."

"Shoot."

"I get that I can't wish for more wishes but…what if I gave the lamp to Al and then he gave it back to me? Would that reset the wish counter to zero?"

Genie looked surprised but he also looked a tad impressed.

"Heh, nice try kid. Three wishes per person. No more no less."

I smiled and pretended to be disappointed and snapped my fingers with a pout of, "Aw, man! I thought I had you there."

I looked at the stone floor then back up to Genie shyly, "One more question," I asked innocently holding a finger up.

Genie held his arms open again before crossing them back.

"Do you make all these things with magic or do you get them from somewhere else?"

Genie grinned then cocked his head as a light twinkle came to his eye.

"You're really something, you know that."

I smiled and gave a shrug, "No one's ever asked that before?"

Genie shook his head almost sadly, "Nope. They usually get right down to business and I'm back in that bronze jail in less than a minute."

"Wow…that's stupid."

Genie shrugged then said, "I conjure them up. Make the stuff out of thin air. Taking them from somewhere else is just a pain because it causes confusion, accidents, and some once in a while death."

"You can kill people," I asked alarmed.

Genie's eyes widened a little and he shook his head and hands, "No, no, no! I mean…not directly. But masters always seem to find loopholes…"

"Oh… What were you saying," I asked, eager to change the subject, turning to Al who was sitting crisscross applesauce on the floor his head resting in his hands with Carpet who was laying belly first next to him sweeping a tassel across the stone floor.

"Hmm. Oh yeah," Al said remembering his earlier argument hopping to his feet to continue.

"I was saying that I can't believe that when we finally get the chance to get a better life you don't know what to wish for. Sid! We could have the palace! We could be the sultan and queen if we want! We could have the whole world! And you don't know what to wish for."

I shook my head at my brother and laughed, "Al, I don't want the palace."

Al continued to stare at me as if I'd gone crazy.

"I've never wanted the extravagant life. If I could map out a perfect life for me I'd live in a cozy two story house, plenty of food, a wonderful loving family to come home to, and a job to go to during the day that I love. That's the kind of life I want. And it's not that I can't think of anything I can think of a million things I could wish for. An end to world hunger! Peace on earth! Immortality for all humans! I could wish sickness away! But…I don't know Al. What if…what if the outcome isn't as peachy as I thought it was going to be?"

Al who had been listening almost sheepishly to me suddenly turned confused.

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged and stole a sideways glance at Genie and he had been staring at me with the upmost attention and interest.

"What if…there are bad consequences. What if something bad happens? Like if I end world hunger will the earth die from trying to produce enough food for all the people of the world? Immortality is a horrible wish to begin with so I probably wouldn't wish it anyway and without sickness…I don't know. Something bad would probably happen though. I think that there are reasons that bad things are here and messing with them will only bring worse things okay."

"Fair enough… You think immortality is a bad wish?"

"Hecka yes! Living forever! Are you kidding me? Having to watch every one I care about die around me while I have to go on and live in a world that I'd have probably seen all of in an eternity. It would get tiring not to mention boring."

"Okay, okay, I get where you're coming from. But you could wish a house for us! Endless money!"

I giggled a bit as the thought of an old fairy tale peeped into my mind. The one about the pot that produced endless porridge when magic words were spoken to it.

"What's so funny," Genie asked a smile painted on his cheeks.

"Nothing… I don't know Al. I guess that I'd wish for us to be stable and happy for the rest of our lives. That's all I've ever wanted. To be happy and to see you happy… Hey! What would you wish for if you had three wishes?"

Al smiled at my words but when I mentioned wishes his eyes lit up in the brightest way.

"I know exactly what I'd wish for! I'd wish…"

Al's speech trailed off as a grin of a fool in love found his face and his eyes glazed with his thoughts of the princess.

"Oooh, Princess on the brain?"

Al slowly turned his face toward me and gave a dazed, "Whassat?"

I choked on a laughed and turned to Al resting my head on my hand.

"You can't wish for love Al. But…I don't think you have to worry about that."

Al seemed to snap out of his daze and looked at me almost tiredly.

"I mean it! She really seemed to like you. I'm sure that it's not an everyday occurrence that she just demands to set a peasant free. Obviously she liked you."

Al scoffed and waved his arm at me before he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Yeah, right. I'm a street rat. She has royal men that can offer her anything with a snap of the fingers every day. I'm no competition."

"Maybe she doesn't care about wealth or power. Maybe she's just looking for a loving guy…like you."

Al gave me a look that told me to shut it and I raised my hands in exasperation.

"Fine don't believe Al. What do I know right? You know, I'm just a dumb girl that knows how other girls minds work because; you know, I'm a freakin girl! I obviously know nothing about this area."

Al glared at me and I glared back though mine was mere mocking and Al's was serious annoyance.

"Al. Do you really like this girl?"

Al's face softened and he nodded gently.

I gave a purposely over the top sigh and shook my head.

"What am I going to do with you," I asked shaking my head glancing at Genie like I had the hardest job in the world just watching this boy, "Okay Al. Because I'm your sister and I love you so much! I'll use one of my wishes to turn you into a prince so you can chase after your fair princess. Kay?"

"Really," Al shouted jumping to his feet with a grin so large it looked like the sides of his mouth were about to rip from the strain, "You'd really give a wish for me."

"No. I was joking… YES! I'm giving you a wish! I'm starting to think that I need to get your hearing checked," I murmured.

"Oh, Genie! I'm sorry! We kind of butted you out of our conversation."

Genie smiled and replied, "It's cool. Just seeing faces and hearing voices again are enough for me."

I smiled and stood holding the lamp firmly in my hands.

"Genie…I think I've got my first wish."

Genie stood tall ready for my request, "Say it and it's yours!"

Al and Carpet stood eagerly waiting for my wish and I gave all my companions a broad smile.

"Well, we can't very well get Al to his lady fair here in the cave. Genie, I wish that we were out of this cave."

"Righto! Hey fly girl! You up for a little passenger flight today?"

Carpet grinned and waved her arms and tassels excitedly.

"Alright, alright," Genie said transforming into a police guard, "Stand back. Stand back. It's been awhile since she's seen the air so we have to do some test runs. Best if you're not in collision area. All right! Let 'er go!"

Carpet gave thumbs up and she kneeled down and took a running start. I watched in anticipation to see just how Carpet would look in action. She leaped into the air and for a moment she was flying her form straightened out and her head hung low enough to hide underneath the now stiff carpet material. Then she stumbled and ate the stone floor face first. Al and Genie cringed and let out low whistles and painful noises as I ran out to help her.

"Are you alright?! You ate it hard."

I help her to her feet and despite being very embarrassed and her rope coil going a little loose she was fine.

"Don't feel bad. You'll get it. It's like riding a bike, you never forget…right?"

Carpet smiled at my reassurance and she nodded firmly and took off again. She was still a little shaky in take-off but she stayed in the air. Carpet made flying look a fine art. Like a dance that took years to master. She perfected the landing and took a little bow and I clapped like crazy.

"That was awesome! Man I wish….I DON'T MEAN THAT," I screamed looking at Genie, who flinched, and I held up the lamp like a weapon or shield, "Gotta watch how I phrase things. I…..It would be really cool if I could fly like you do. There! Saved it!"

I wiped my brow of imaginary sweat and Genie and Carpet chuckled while Al was wearing a look that a person that had just barely avoided a nuclear bomb might wear.

Carpet smiled and she…carpeterized, yep sticking with that word, herself and Genie turned into an airplane chauffer and held his arm towards Carpet.

"Mr. and Miss. Street rats will you please step this way."

Normally I would have given somebody the death glare for that but his use was so innocent and in such good fun I gave it a pass. But I did note it. Al hesitantly stepped onto the carpet startled when she moved under him and fell onto his backside.

"This won't hurt her right?"

Genie shook his head and Carpet peeked beneath her cloth and smiled and shook her head also brushing the worry away. Genie offered his hand and I, not wanting to come off as rude, grasped his hand lightly and let him help me onto Carpet. It was sort of like a water bed, slightly bouncing at every movement, I couldn't feel the bones that had once been so obvious all that was identifiable was the soft cloth we were seated on. From my position it hardly looked like Carpet was half woman at all.

"Let's get this started. In case of emergency the exits are: here, here, here and back there somewhere. Hold on tight, keep your hands and arms inside the carpet at all times; because, we are out of here!"

Carpet took off and right away I fell onto my back from the force. I got up and upon seeing our approach of the cave roof I yelped and held my hands out in front of my face. I hadn't needed to worry because we smashed right through it in blue and red sparks and lots more of blue silvery smoke. The Arabian air never felt fresher after being stuck in that dank and musky cave. The wind running through my hair was so soothing. It almost felt like driving with my cousin in the go cart he had so fast my hair was flying wildly behind me.

Carpet slowed once we excited the cave and she stopped maybe a mile or two of the cave in the middle of the desert. Luckily it was still night but the sun was slowly peeking up over the horizon.

Genie helped both Al and I down since carpet was floating a few feet in the air and once we were again situated on solid ground Carpet unstiffened herself and stood beside Genie who was still dressed as an airplane attendant. I noticed that Genie preferred not turning into a woman a lot less than his movie counterpart. Interesting.

"We realize that you have a choice when it comes to air travel," Genie looked around as if he would find another airplane service then turned back, "thank you for choosing Magic Carpet airlines and come again soon. Bye, bye now! Bye, bye! Watch your head!"

"Nice work fly girl, give me some tassel."

The Genie and Carpet high fived one another then turned back to me.

"That was cool."

Carpet smiled and shrugged her head to the side with a proud smile.

"Okay. Wish number two. I wish for Al to be a prince."

"Make her a princess to," Al added with a smile.

"Al this is your wish."

"So? I want you to be in on it to and it was your wish first."

"Yeah but this is like a birthday present. You don't share birthday presents it just isn't done."

Al rolled his eyes and looked at Genie, "Can you make her a princess."

Genie looked over at me then nodded his head with a smirk.

"All right. Let's do this," I shouted happily turning to Genie.

Genie rolled up his non-existent sleeves and grinned with the promise of all the possibilities for this big project.

"All right, let's get settled here. Honey, look at these horrible split ends," Genie shouted as a hairstylist puling at my hair and I protectively yanked my hair back, "This will just not do! Look at this," Genie said looking at Al, "Obviously hasn't been brushing," Genie said pulling Al's lips in what looked like a painful way exposing his teeth, "Covered in dirt. Looks like we have to schedule a visit with the spa."

"The spa?"

I hadn't had time to even think when huge spa building just appeared with a snap of Genie's fingers. It looked strangely familiar yet new at the sight of a building that looked like the ones back home but wasn't squished up against a dozen others. Genie ushered us inside Carpet doing the same and pushed us through the revolving doors of the place. What lay inside was a girl paradise. A pristine, white tiled, extravagant bathing area with tons of hair washing basins, showers, tables with dozens of preening tools set on them, chair for hair cutting, even a hot tub in the corner with frothing water promising soothing relaxation.

The place was filled with Genie replicas all smiling ready to work and fulfill our wish. "Al if you would follow me, Sid would you follow the lovely carpet please."

I followed Carpet who was grinning happily over to a shower where three Genies' were waiting for me.

"Step in here miss."

Carpet as well as the genies shoved me into the shower with me struggling lightly and arguing, "Hey wait! Stop! I'm wearing clothes!"

They paid me no mind and shoved me in the shower. The door clicked behind me and I turned to jiggle the door handle to see if it was locked. It was. I sighed and turned around to see a car washed designed shower that defied the laws of mass and volume being the size of half the spa to begin with. The floor jolted and I nearly fell from loss of solid ground as the conveyer belt moved me from station to station. The first stop pairs of hands reach out from nowhere and removed my clothes. I tried swatting them away and reasoning with them but they obviously didn't understand and just completed their jobs. The ride to the next check point was pretty akward considering I was standing buck naked. The next station was a shower.

A fire hose nozzle slithered down in front of my face and upon the realization of what it was going to do I shouted, "Wait no! Stop!"

The hose tapped on and sprayed me square in the face and it felt like a dozen more were spraying me in every direction. At least the water was warm, I gave it that. I spluttered, coughed, and rubbed my sore eyes as the conveyer belt took off again. The next station held the same hands as before and they jumped into the task of cleaning every part of my body, and I mean everything. I had been shouting and struggling and pushing at the hands but they never stopped. Then before I could get another sound out the hoses came back and washed the soap away. Then a toothbrush descended from the ceiling and gave me the most painful tooth brushing ever! By that time I was already pissed off with the amount of groping that had just taken place but at the end the hands were holding out a silk robe that they slipped around my shoulders and let me tie it myself so I found it in my heart to forgive them.

At the end of the line was a door identical to the one I had come into and when it open it led back into the spa building. The genie replicas were lined against the wall, one was reading a magazine blowing bubbles with pink bubblegum, and another was looking himself over in a mirror and picking at his nails, the other was listening to ear buds with carpet the two of them bobbing along to the beat. Once they saw me their previous activities were tossed away and disappeared and they all gave me charming smiles.

"Hope the shower was pleasant for you."

"Yeah, pleasant like a-

"No time! No time," The genies cried pushing me along to the next thing.

The next station was the hair cleaning basins and they quickly pushed me into the chair and gently urged me to lay back. The genies got to work one washing my hair while the other ones cleaned my nails and toe nails and trimmed them while scraping the dead skin off of my feet. Needless to say, the genies were much gentler than the mechanical hands from the showers and I enjoyed the hair washing a bazillion times more. When my hair was completely rinsed, and my nails cleaned and trimmed, and my feet as soft as baby's skin, the genies pushed me off again this time to the barber chairs. Once I found a seat I found Al was seated next to me wearing an identical robe and an identical expression of jumbled confusion.

Two genies came up to us with smiles that I didn't exactly trust if they were going to be handling scissors.

"So, how are you today sweetie?"

"Fine."

"Just fine. So it's a normal day for you? You and your brother just go into tiger head caves all the time, yeah?"

I looked up at the genie with a crooked smile, "Yep. All in an average day."

"Let's see the damage here."

Genie tsked as he held up wet strands of my long hair, "Honey, look at your poor hair. Don't you worry, Genie will fix it. I think we'll cut it down to meet your hip because those ends have to go."

I giggled at the awful over the top hairdresser impersonation but went quiet as genie begun to expertly clip my hair away. Almost mechanically now that I think of it.

"You do this often? Is this your part time job? Hairdresser on the side as well as being a genie."

"Oh yeah, brings in the extra money," Genie said with a loose smile his concentration still on cutting my hair.

I peered through my mirror to look at Al next to me who was patiently sitting in his chair letting the other genie snip his hair away, the perfect example of silence.

"Some layers I think…" Genie muttered absent mindedly.

Genie cut off all of my hair up to the top of my butt and my head felt ten times lighter without it. It took a few minutes but way faster than hair dresser back in my world could ever home to be. And when he was finished he dropped the scissors and shouted, "Perfect!"

The Genies then pushed us off yet again off to the hairdryers and we were nearly blown away because instead of chairs with the bowls on them they were actual giant hairdryers. When it was done Al and I turned to each other and burst out laughing.

"You look like you took a roll in the sand," Al laughed out pointing to my hair that had stuck out in all directions.

"You look like you got electrocuted," I argued pointing to Al's hair that was standing on end.

The entire Genie replica army disappeared leaving the real genie. He hopped over to us with a smile and we smiled back.

"You like the spa?"

"The mechanical hands not so much but everything else is great!"

"I haven't been this clean in ages," Al said running his hands through his hair with a smile.

"Let's get you guys some royal clothes huh?"

Genie turned to Al rubbing his chin in thought. I watched entranced as he ran his fingers through his thick beard through the end curl and was mesmerized at how the curl bounced back into place every single time. Genie snapped his fingers with a grin.

"I got just the outfit to make you the prince that your princess will go gaga for!"

He snapped his fingers and a puff of silvery blue smoke surrounded Al. When the smoke cleared Al was wearing the Prince Ali outfit. Genie poofed a mirror and Al grinned and admired him in the mirror making various poses that just screamed his admiration of his reflection. I rolled my eyes but I was grinning. Genie didn't disappoint. He looked great. Then Genie turned to me with a devious expression on his face that I wasn't sure I liked.

"Now it's your turn, little lady."

"Oh…goody," I said with a forced smile.

Genie slipped into the same thoughtful expression though it took him much longer to decide than it had for Al and many eye roaming's that I wasn't so comfortable with. But he finally seemed to settle on something and instead of a grand proclamation he gave a satisfied grin and snapped his fingers. The same blue smoke surrounded me and I felt myself unwinding and relaxing as the scent of roasting wood filled my nostrils. It was such a comforting smell and I sort of wished I could bottle the scent so I could spray it around the hovel. It would make days so much more relaxing. When the smoke cleared away Genie smiled approvingly and proudly then held out the mirror for me to see myself.

I stared at the reflective surface rendered completely speechless at the sight of my own reflection. My skin was positively glowing in the lighting of the spa; my hair was combed and pinned upward in a belle hair style one part of my hair pinned up in a bun leaving the rest of my hair to fall down my back. I picked a small strand out of the waves of hair and ran my hands over the silky strand. It was so wonderful, after being stuck with greasy hair for years, to have my hair feel so silky. Woven into the bun was a blue flower with yellow sprouting from the center. On my forehead a chain headband crown sat that stretched back into the bun, gold in color encrusted with blue gems to match the blue gems on Al's turban.

Earrings and a necklace of the same design decorated me. The outfit itself was a large dress poncho from the outside red and white with flower designs on it. I had clothes underneath it but it was hidden under the dress layer. I looked…beautiful. A true princess. I almost wanted to look behind me to see if there was someone else the mirror was reflecting. I was finally worthy and I looked just like all the snobby rich folk that had looked down on me for so many years. But…I didn't look like me. I loved the clothes but they weren't…me. Despite that, I turned my head to the side and gave a bashful smile at my reflection.

"Wow…you look…beautiful," Al said with a smile.

My cheeks tinged with pink and I softly thanked him.

"Like a princess, no?"

Genie asked turning to Al with a smile.

"No. Genie, she looks perfect. In a contest she'd definitely beat all the other princess of the foreign kingdoms."

"Then me and Jasmine would call it a tie," I said with a soft chuckle.

"Genie. It's gorgeous! I just…I don't have words… Thank you."

Genie grinned and blew his fingers as if he were drying polish.

"But…the dress is a little…tight," I said with a grimace trying to walk but finding the task more difficult than I intended.

Genie snapped his fingers and the dress layer was lying in his arms giving me more movement.

"It gets a little heavy, yeah. It's only for show when you get there."

The under layer was a top that showed my midriff with loose sleeves that had red and gold linings, a pair of white harem pants, and white pointy shoes lined with gold encrusted with blue and red jewels.

"You look pretty handsome yourself Al. But…"

I picked a few strands out from under the turban to fall over his forehead and eyes and I smiled.

"There. Now you look like yourself."

"That's the last thing I wanna be."

I scowled but sighed.

"Alright then. If you want to play up the prince identity then you're going to need a new name. How about…Ali? Prince Ali…Ababwa?"

"Sounds perfect," Al cried with a grin," What's yours?"

"Pick one for me."

"Sid…dina. Sidina. Sidina Ababwa!"

"Sounds good to me."

"Hey! What are a prince and a princess without a princes and princesses dowry?"

Genie folded his arms and nodded his head and the spa disappeared and was replaced with a towering mound of jewels, fine silks, servants, and animals. The most prominent, an elephant. I tensed at the sight of it and I didn't even have to look at Al to know that he was tense.

"Eh? Eh? Did the Genie do good or what?"

"Genie. It's astounding," I said simply with a grin that threatened to rip my mouth.

Al had already stolen forward and was walking about looking at the menagerie of not only animals but of treasure. I stopped at a cage with a macaw in it and I put my hand against the cages small bars. The Macaw in response rubbed its beak against the cave where my hand was and I whistled to it and it whistled back.

"Everything's accounted for. We can leave as soon as you want."

Reminded of the princess that awaited him Al ran up to Genie eagerly and waved me over frantically. I rolled my eyes but walked over to him.

"So, what are we making the trip on?"

"On that," Genie told me pointing to the elephant with the canopied basket strapped to his back.

"Can I ride carpet?"

Al laughed then laid a hand on my shoulder and said, "No. You got to be there with me to really pull off the prince wish!"

I sighed and stuck out my lip in annoyance.

"How are we getting up there?"

Genie snapped his fingers and we were seated in the basket among dozens of pillows.

"Where's Carpet?"

Carpet flew up to the basket and waved at me and I waved back. Al was coughing next to me and I patted his back a bit concerned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… Man that smoke stinks."

"It's not that bad."

"It smells like burning coals to me."

I cocked my head in confusion but let it go. Off we went walking into the desert painted with the sunrise, our dowry trailing behind us, to see Al's dear Princess Jasmine.

**A/N-Thank you to all those who are reading. A picture of Sid's Princess outfit is here: art/Sid-Prince-Ali-garb-with-sari-398012817**

**And here:** art/Sid-Prince-Ali-garb-without-sari-398013025


	9. Traveling

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin; the movie, musical, TV series, or original tale. I only own Sid.**

We traveled across the Arabian Desert the servants that Genie poofed up carrying our large amount of riches behind our elephant. Al was tapping his hand on his knee and wearing an impatient grimace.

"This is gonna take forever! Why can't he just poof us there," Al muttered under his breath.

I leaned over and replied, "Because, Al, the dude hasn't seen sunlight in ten thousand years! We can wait a little bit to get back home. Just relax. Jasmine isn't going anywhere."

Al huffed and glanced over at the vast dunes of sand around us. The trip took a day and a night to make. It might have taken a shorter amount of time but even if the servants were just people Genie created they were humans and needed food breaks, bathroom breaks, the animals needed to rest and be fed, and the elephant though he took long strides moved at a content slow pace. Al must have asked Genie if we were gonna be there before another suitor came a dozen times. Genie was very patient with him and would always reply, "Calm down, Romeo. We'll get there on time, trust me buddy."

Genie had created the basket to be nothing but pleasant to sit in while we traveled. Genie had padded the basket with plenty of pillows, though he did keep comfort of space in mind so it didn't feel as though we were being smothered with soft little squares of comfort. Staying awake during the journey that day had proved to be quite a challenge. After years of sleeping on cold and unforgiving stone floors the soft cuddling embrace of the downy soft pillows was like lying on a cloud. The colossal animal that we were seated on moved with heavy slow steps that ever so gently swayed the basket from side to side like a cradle.

More often than not I found myself lost in warm fuzzy darkness and was only brought out of light slumber by an extra loud sound of the servants and animals below. To keep myself from falling asleep I tried my hardest to keep myself occupied. Watching the scenery proved to pointlessly bore myself to the point of sleep so I instead chose to look over the basket we were seated in. It was much bigger than in the musical or the movie but it was still small enough to fit on the elephants back. The pillows were a variety of bright colors and each were trimmed with gold cloth and gold tassels. The basket was made out of wood and carved into a canopy that supported a thick violet cloth that shielded us from the harsh sun. It was tied at the very bottom so some sunlight streamed in through the cracks but there was very little sunlight and it brought a calm atmosphere into the air.

Growing soon tired of staring at cloth and pillows I watched my companions. Al was propped up against several pillows; his arms were lazily casted over his knees. His posture spoke lazy contentment but the intense yet glazed look in his eye as he stared motionless and unblinking at the violet cloth spoke that he was lost in the realm of his thoughts. So I turned to Carpet, who had chosen to sit with us after the first half hour, and was amusing herself with a pillow by slapping her tassels against the tassels of the pillows. She was laying on her side for space reasons and also looked lost to the real world. So I turned my attention to Genie.

He seemed to prefer keeping human legs over his smoke tail. I knew for sure because I had asked him earlier on in the ride.

"Hey, Genie. You can't turn your legs into smoke?"

"What? Yes I can."

Genie laughed at my innocent stupidity and in a flash his legs were a swirling cloud of silvery blue smoke.

"Whoa! That's awesome."

"You think so?"

"Well, yeah! So, like, you can just change from legs to smoke whenever you like?"

"Yep. It is part of being a genie," Genie sighed with a sad hint to his voice.

I nodded politely and waited a few second to reply, "Cool. If I could do that I would have smoke legs all the time."

Genie shrugged, "I like legs better. Smoke tails are sort of pointless since I only hover an inch from the ground with my tail anyway."

"Oh. I get that."

I gave him a smile and he smiled back and the conversation ended there. He was sporting normal legs when I glanced over at him. With carpet lying on the side of the basket space was limited so he chose to hover in midair at head level with us in the middle of the room. His ankles were crossed with his right leg bent leisurely, his arms were laid over his belly and his eyes were closed. He wasn't asleep, I could tell that, but he was completely at ease. I wondered if he ever felt relaxed around his other masters or if his previous mastered had even permitted him to leave his lamp unless called.

One of his eyes drooped open and focused on me then the other one opened. I saw and I continued to stare him in the eyes. His eyes seemed confused whether they were a hazel or a deep brown but at that moment they had been leaning towards hazel. It wasn't akward or forced or even intimidating. We had simply looked at each other for a long while and then we looked away.

"So…you come here often?"

I laughed and shook my head in a disbelieving way.

"That line is so over used."

"I like the classics."

"Yeah, but even the classics can be over used. It didn't even really work in this situation."

Genie shrugged.

"I can't believe that this is really happening. It's just so surreal. One minute I'm a street rat the next I have a genie and am on my way to the palace. It's been a long day."

My stomach chose the opportune moment to growl loudly and I smiled sheepishly and laid a hand on my belly with a soft slap.

"Longer than I thought. Haven't eaten all day."

"Why didn't you say so? I'm here to take care of all your needs. Just say it and it's yours. No need to be shy."

"It's not polite to bark orders at someone. Much less someone's who's offering his services to you out of the goodness of his heart," I said with a soft smile but serious belief.

Genie's joking demeanor turned more solemn and almost awed. I shrugged uncomfortable with the fact he found such a common moral of my time to be a diamond in the rough itself.

"I'd gladly take some food though."

Genie seemed to snap out of his reverie and placed an eager to please smile on. His outfit turned into one of a waiter.

"What can I get you today miss?"

I looked around in thought for a moment then looked up at Genie with a smile.

"How about…some nachos?"

Genie looked taken aback but he waved his hands and the most delicious plate of nachos sat on a plate in my lap.

"Way cool!"

"Hey, Al, buddy! You want anything," Genie called with a smile.

Al turned his head slightly to look at Genie and he straightened at the sight of food.

"I'd kill for some…"

I lost track of their conversation there as I bit into my food. It was the most delicious food I had ever tasted. Time had worn away the memory of what food tasted like back home but the food I had been eating easily blew the shaky memories out of the park. It was the best plate of nachos I had ever eaten and I eagerly scarfed them down.

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down there! You'll choke eating at a pace like that," Genie said with a chuckle.

I smiled sheepishly and swallowed the last mouthful of food.

"Sorry. It's just I haven't had a good meal in a while. Neither has Al. I gotta say," I said between sucking the left over cheese off of my fingers, "You are a spectacular cook. You can just do everything can't ya?"

Genie looked beyond pleased with himself. Tucking his thumbs into the red band of his pants he puffed his chest forward some.

"Now all you need is a dagger, clothes made of leaves, and a crow and you'd complete the outfit," I mumbled with a giggle.

Genie raised a thick black eyebrow at me with a smirk, "What was that Master?"

"Nothing," I replied innocently still giggling.

"Stop calling me master, too," I said once the giggles were all out of me.

"But it's genie rules," Genie said in a matter a fact tone with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I don't say, 'Slave! Get out here and grant my wish!' So I don't want you to call me master. Just call me Sid and I'll call you Genie."

"Whatever you wish, master."

My face fell and Genie laughed out loud.

"Look, I know I'm easy dude. Just cut me some slack here."

Genie laughed and nodded.

"You okay there Al," I asked a tad bit worried seeing that Al's cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk.

"Mhmm," Al mumbled through food nodding his head furiously.

I was thankful that's all he had had to say. One more syllable and he would have choked with the effort.

"Looks like you guys were worse off than I thought," Genie said in low tones.

"Yeah….I'm pretty beat up."

Genie looked over at me and he looked conflicted over what to say.

"You don't have to sugar coat it. I can take it. Honesty is worth more to me that sugar coated lies."

"You're not beat up," Genie said shaking his head incredulous, "You're just…malnuriched is all. Why, in a few weeks, these little cheek bones with be hiding under chubby cheeks again," Genie said tugging gently on my cheek.

I swatted his hand away and patted my cheeks, "Eh! Eh! No touching the merchandise okay!"

Genie held up his hand and took to the air again.

Al lay back contently and folded his arms behind his head, "Man, best meal ever."

I nodded in agreement.

"Don't you eat," I asked Genie then looked at Carpet.

Carpet shook her head and Genie shook his head, "I'm not hungry right now."

"Oh… I was just wondering. It's always akward when you're the one person in the room not eating."

"Akward situation are only as bad as you perceive them," Genie said in a very smart way.

"Word of wisdom from the genie," I said with a laugh.

"You know it!"

I glanced over at Al and my smiled faltered. He looked happy but a bit…left out. I didn't mean to forget him it was just Genie was the first person who was familiar with my time. It felt almost like I was home again. I honestly hadn't realized until that moment that al had been left out. I smiled at Al and he smiled back.

"Have you memorized your lines?"

Al nodded his head.

"Not like he could forget them."

I giggled but shot Genie a soft glare.

"Hey! It's a lot of pressure asking somebody to marry you!"

Genie rolled his eyes but I ignored him.

So the conversation went on and it was the most fun conversation I had had in a while. When night rolled around I slept like a babe. I doubt that even the elephant throwing me off its back would have been able to wake me. It was Genie who woke me up….by turning into a bull horn.

"**HONK!"**

"AHHHHHH!"

I looked up to see Genie transform back into his true form laughing his blue ass off at me.

"Ha! Ha! So funny," I hissed out then crashed back onto the pillows.

"Wakey, wakey! We've got a big day ahead of us!"

I threw a pillow at him irritably and I heard Al groan behind me.

"Hey!"

"You can't sleep! We've got things to do! Let's get moving."

"Later," I whined and curled up into the pillows.

Genie sighed heavily though it sounded extremely mischievous to my ears.

"I didn't want to have to do this but…you leave me no choice."

Next thing I was being drenched in icy cold water. I hit the ceiling and yelled as loud as my lungs allowed me, "WHAT THE HELL!"

Genie was trying to choke in a laugh and Al after getting over the shock of the loud yell I gave was laughing out loud.

"Shut up," I growled.

"Was that really necessary," I gritted though my teeth.

"You wouldn't wake up."

I growled baring my teeth for a second and shouted, "Just dry me."

"Okay," genie said through a laugh and in a snap of his fingers I was dry and covered in the cloak dress.

"Thank you," I said in a calmer voice.

"We almost in Agrabah, folks. Get in positions everybody!"

Genie flew out followed by an excited Carpet and Al and I seated ourselves in the middle of the Basket ready to make our debut.

"You nervous," I asked Al with a smile.

"A little."

"It'll be okay. Just put on that smile of yours and I guarantee that the Princess will like you."

I felt bad for getting Al's hopes so high only to have them be crushed but as a sister it was my first instinct to be supportive and positive for him. The music started up and I braced myself for the parade of Prince Ali and Princess Sidina.


	10. The Parade of Prince Ali

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin; musical, TV series, movies or original story. I only own Sidney or any future characters I may come up with. ; 3**

I could hear Genie faintly talking into his golden microphone; he had waited until we were near the palace to announce our arrival. I had really wanted this whole act to come off without a hitch. I knew it was already going to be a tense, messy affair and I didn't want to be the cause of even more drama. The best I could act out the part of a princess accurately the better. So I thought to myself what a princess's demeanor is like. Confident, already had that trait down. They sat with a strong posture and were very regal. So I sat up straight enough that my back felt like it was being straightened and completely drained my face of all emotion. Sounded like a good plan but it wasn't much good in reality. My back gave out after a few seconds and my face felt like it was being weighed down by a anvil.

I decided just to sit calmly, smile and wave, and try to look as subtle and comfortable as possible in my current situation. It didn't help matters that the stupid dress, although completely gorgeous, was squeezing my body restricting movement. I tried my best to ignore it and put on my best acting face for this song.

_Make way! For Prince Ali! Say hey! It's Prince Ali!_

"_Hey clear the way in the old bazar! Hey you! Let us through it's a bright new star! Oh come! Be the first on your block to meet his eye!"_

Genie's voice rang clear in the chorus of voices and I prepared for our reveal.

"_Make way here he comes! Ring bells bang the drums! Are you gonna love this guy! Prince Ali, fabulous he! Ali Ababwa!"_

The canopy drew back to expose us to the crowd of onlookers and the crowd broke out in excited gasps. I waved with a smile to the people below and they eagerly waved back awe struck smiles painted on their faces. Carpet was below us carrying an umbrella with a smile as she bounced around to the music.

"_Genuflect show some respect down on one knee! Now, try your best to say calm. Brush up your Sunday salaam, and come and meet his spectacular coterie."_

"_Prince Ali! Mighty is he, Ali Ababwa! Strong as ten regular men definitely! He faced the galloping hoards! A hundred bad guys with swords! Who sent those goons to their lords? Why Prince Ali!"_

While Al and I were making our way to the palace waving to the citizens of Agrabah, Genie was already in the throne room singing to Jasmine and the sultan. But we couldn't see him because the palace doors were still closed. The song, despite the large number of people, animals, and props that went into our parade it wasn't nearly as fun as Friend like Me. All Al and I did throughout the entire first part of the song was sitting in the basket and waving. Not very fun.

_He's got seventy-fie golden camels._

"_Watch where you step."_

_Purple Peacocks he's got fifty-three._

"_That's a lot of feathers."_

_When it comes to exotic type mammals._

"_Like Snookie!"_

_Has he got a zoo! I'm telling you, it's a world class menagerie! Prince Ali!_

I took a deep cleansing breath getting ready to enter the palace and see the princess. One of my worst abilities was lying and I was freaking out that I would see Jasmine and immediately give us away. So I bit my lip as the palace doors swung open and our elephant walked into the throne room.

_Prince Ali! Amorous he, Ali Ababwa!_

Al stood to accept the wild roars of applause coming from our own servants the palace servants and the citizens crowding around the open palace doors. I stayed seated unwilling to take the applause from my brother when really this was his story not mine. But Al seeing that I was sitting smiled and pulled me to my feet and lifted my arm. The applause only increased.

"_Heard your princess was a sight lovely to see," _Genie sang tapping his finger on his tongue then tapping Jasmines shoulder making a sizzling sound. He hopped away and I shook my head.

_And that, good people, is why he got dolled up and dropped by._

Dropped by was our cue to hop off the elephant. A servant helped Al down and Al turned to help me down. Without the dress I could have simply hopped down but with the dress I slipped and Al had to catch me. I seemed to have caught Al off guard but he smiled and propped me back onto my feet asking me if I was okay. I told him I was then Carpet and I practically coddled him, me fixing his outfit to perfection while Carpet dusted him off with her tassels. Al looked more nervous than a cornered wolf. Constantly he glanced back worriedly at Jasmine who was standing unable to speak at the sudden shock that had been delivered with this monstrous parade of power and wealth. My own heart dropped at the almost…offended and distasteful look she had on her face.

_With sixty elephants, llamas galore! With his bears, lions, a brass band and more! With his forty fakirs, his cooks, and bakers, and birds that warble on key! Make way for Prince Ali!"_

On make way both Genie and I pushed Al towards Jasmine who retreated from him to run for her father. Al looked rather awkwardly at a loss of what to do to impress her when the music stopped and he stood motionless and stiff as a statue. Genie held been holding up the golden mike and when he finished he walked over to me and held out his arm. I gave out a small oh in remembrance and slipped my arm into the crook of his. Genie was playing lead servant so apparently since I wasn't married I was to be escorted by Genie. I was just a stupid white person so who was I to argue so I went with it. It was actually very comforting and supportive having him next to me and having our arms entwined. Gave me a little extra courage. It was silent for a few seconds and Al seemed to have discovered stage fright and was unable to move. So, I decided to help him out.

"Princess," I said striding over to Jasmine out of Genie's hold," I am Sidina Ababwa and let me say it is an honor to be in your presence and your fathers. You have a truly magnificent home."

Jasmine looked utterly confused and lost. It seemed to me that she had been unsure if my sincerity was actually sincere or just an act to kiss up to them.

"You are truly as beautiful as my brother said."

"He has seen me before," Jasmine asked shuffling her feet uneasily.

I deadpanned, "Well, Agrabah is a fine kingdom. A true model of peace and prosperity, it is only natural that you would have pictures drawn of you. My brother saw one of these pictures."

"Ah," Jasmine said as emotionless as I had been.

"We have traveled far from our kingdom because my brother," I said pointing my head at Al, "Has come to ask you a very important question."

I returned to Genie's side and waited for Al to move. He still didn't.

"Pssst! Do it!"

Al snapped out of his stone pose and he rushed up to Jasmine.

"Fair princess. May I introduce myself? I am Prince Ali Ababwa!"

Al held his hands high eliciting applause from the servants, ours and the sultans, and I cringed in response. Al, oh Al, why did you have to be so…big headed. Not now at least! I wished that he would have paid more attention to Jasmine's expressions and her obvious discomfort and distaste with this whole procedure.

"Annnndddd CUT! Perfect!"

Genie turned to one of the servants giving him an 'I'm watching you' eye motion then held out his hand for Al and his arm for me. I slipped my arm into his again then turned to watch the scene.

"And…I would be _delighted _to ask for your hand in marriage," Al spoke kneeling down in front of Jasmine taking one of her hands to hold in his.

Jasmine looked almost touched at Al's sweet sincere words and I almost thought that maybe I wouldn't have to see Jasmine smash my brothers hope to pieces. Then…Genie decided to talk.

"Oooh! It's just like on the bachelor," Genie told me with an excited jump and a laugh. He left my side and went over to Al and Jasmine standing on the side of them.

"Princess! Don't leave the home viewers waiting in suspense," at that point I had been making cutting motions at my neck frantically shaking my head hoping Genie would see me and quit while he was ahead.

"What do you think of his fabulousness?"

I cringed in despair waiting for the crushing words.

"Another fraud!"

Jasmine yanked her hand violently out of Al's and she stormed out of the room and the room erupted in loud gasps of shock. Al's face that had been hopeful and genuine fell into a confused and hurt expression that tore my heart to pieces. I almost glared at Jasmine. If she only knew how much pain she was putting the poor boy through.

"Oh snap girl, no you didn't!'

The servants, knowing that now their purpose in this venture had failed, began to leave with the menagerie.

"Hey! Where are you guys going," Genie shouted chasing after them.

"I am an artist okay! I deserve to be taken seriously!"

The servants paid him no mind and he sighed.

"That didn't work for Justin Bieber either."

I would have laughed but it didn't seem right when my little brother was still kneeling on the ground his, hands held up as if he was still holding her hand, with his face written with despair.

"I am sorry Prince Ali," The sultan said sadly, "My daughter is a bit…er…selective when it comes to suitors," the sultan said exasperatedly then left. Genie bowed at him as he left and went to stand next to Al and me. I kneeled at his side, you know as best as I could manage with the dress on, and he looked up at me with pure dejection and a great deal of confusion.

"Sid? Was it something I said?"

I opened my mouth to speak but no words could come out. I could only look back with sympathy and sadness.

"I don't know buddy, it feels like the walls are closing in on us," genie said draping a friendly arm over Al's shoulder.

"I don't get it, Al. The makeover should have worked," Genie said at a loss, "the makeover always works! It worked for Cinderella! It worked for Mulan! It works for Hannah Montana!"

He handed his golden mike to Carpet and shrugged.

"Why did she just run off? Was…was I not…princey enough for her. Did I seem like a fraud?"

"Al," I said wobbling to his side, "She was probably just…overwhelmed. We did sort of appear out of nowhere uninvited and it was a very…er…large parade!"

"Maybe the whole parade approach was too Vegas," Genie muttered in agreement.

Al dropped and wrung his hands together, "What am I gonna do. Jasmine won't even talk to me now!"

"W-well, what about, what if I go up and talk to Jasmine. Maybe I can get her to change her mind and give you a chance."

"You'd do that? Would you do that? Oh! Thank you sis!"

Al wrapped me in a tight embraced and I wheezed out a laugh.

"Sure thing. Genie, could you?"

Genie snapped his fingers and the cloak dress was off.

"Thank you! Hang tight here and I'll be back in a jiff."

It seemed like a simple plan until I reached the door to Jasmines quarters, after a direction or two from the generous sultan. What if I seriously screwed things up with this conversation? What if Al and Jasmine never rode on Carpet and would never fall in love. I refused to let that happen. I knocked politely at the door.

"Go away."

"Princess? Please…open the door. I just want to talk to you."

"I don't want to hear what you have to say. Thank you."

"Please! I promise it's important."

Jasmine opened the doors and gave me a tired and sour face.

"Thank you."

I walked in until I reached the middle of the room then turned around. Her room looked just like it did in the movie except there was a bird cage with two white doves in it.

"Make it quick."

Jasmine strode up to me, her pretty face was cast over with simmering anger just barely being contained, and her arms were crossed in front of her. She looked so much like Tasha I stood there just staring at her.

"Well?"

"Princess Jasmine. I apologize for our…rude entrance a few minutes earlier. It was very rude to just stride into your home and ask for your hand expectantly. But, I ask of you, please give my brother a chance."

"Why should I? All he is here for is to increase your kingdoms wealth and power! You'll be in my position in a few years if you aren't already married."

I chuckled a little, "Al…i would kill anyone who tried to marry me simply for money or power. I know he seemed like an egotistical man but he's anything but! He's kind and sweet and he only wanted to impress you."

Jasmine scoffed and stared at me with a cocked eyebrow.

"Not the best strategy, I know, but he did it with the best intentions. He only wanted to prove himself worthy of your hand. Please! Give him a chance! I promise you won't regret it!"

"Why should I believe you? How do I know that this isn't just some hoax?"

I felt my heart sink and I took in a shaky breath, "I don't have a reason. But I know that you'll never know unless you see for yourself. I know what it's like to be treated like a-a-a object rather than a human being. From me to you I tell you with all honesty my brother would never treat you with anything but respect. Please! Just one meeting. If you don't like him then we will leave quietly and never bother you again, princess."

Jasmine looked at me for a while then sighed as her arms dipped to her thighs.

"Very well. ONE! One interview and that is all he shall get."

"Oh thank you! You won't regret this!"

Grinning like a fool I ran back to the throne room where Al was sitting gloomily by himself and Genie and Carpet were playing a game of cards. Upon seeing me Al leaped up and ran over to me.

"What did she say," Al asked hopefully.

"She agreed to see you one time! One time! You've got one shot so don't mess up."

I went to his back and pulled off his cape.

"Now listen to me Al, you're going to go up there and talk to the lovely princess. But, there's one thing that you gotta do?"

"What," Al asked with complete attention.

I walked in front of him and held his cheek.

"Be yourself. It's what's on the inside that really counts."

"She's right," Genie said holding up his hand of cards then quickly hiding them in his hand and flickering his eyes in a paranoid manner.

"She's not gonna fall for some street rat."

"With an attitude like that she definitely won't! Get out there and wow her Al! Oh! And take Carpet with you!"

Al looked at me confused then his eyes lit up and he tugged Carpet by the tassel out of the room.

"Hey! Hey, what? We were in the middle of the game!"

Genie held out his hands then dropped them to his sides.

I watched Al run off and went to sit next to Genie.

"I'll play with you."

Genie's eyes brightened and he gathered up the deck to shuffle.

"What game?"

"Rummy?"

"Oh, awesome! I used to play that all the time with my brother."

"Al plays?"

"Oh. No. He doesn't. My other brother."

Genie seeing my sadness dropped it and he dealt out the cards. We played a few games with some playful banter in between then we started to get bored.

"How old are you exactly Genie?"

The question had been bobbing around in my mind all that day but so much was happening I hadn't had the chance to ask.

"A million at least."

"WHAT! No you're not."

"Uh…yeah. I am."

"You don't act like it."

"Just 'cause I'm old I have to act all wise and mysterious."

"No, I guess not, but it would make more sense than…you know what? Forget it."

I looked out the window and noticed that it was already at least ten.

"It's been a while. You think everything's okay."

"Probably."

I laughed, "I sound like my mother. She was always worrying. But then again, I really loved that about my mom."

"Was your mom a worrier?"

Genie looked slightly lost for words then his face darkened with thought.

"No. I never knew her. I was sent to a genie training 'camp' where all genies that are in training go to learn magic."

"Oh…I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Genie smiled at me and waved it off good naturedly.

"It's alright, it's not like you knew. It was a long, LONG time ago any way."

I half smiled and I looked down at the lamp tied to my waist band. Then I remembered a very important part of this story I was in.

"Genie…you have been such a great help."

"Stop it," Genie said with another wave of his hand then picked at his outfit.

"No I mean it. We'd still be trapped in the cave of wonders if it hadn't been for you! You helped Al get the girl of his dreams. Genie…you deserve something in return."

Genie looked up at me with a hopeful and excited grin.

"When Al and Jasmine fall in love."

"Yeah?"

"I'll use my last wish to set you free."

"Whoa," Genie said sitting up fully erect, "You mean that? …You're serious?"

"As serious as a heart attack. I promise and I _never_ break promises."

I smiled genuinely and grinned when Genie's face filled with so much joy it looked like he was about to explode.

"Pinkie swear!"

Genie nodded firmly and held out his pinkie. I laughed and hooked my pinkie on his.

"Sid…that's so raven!"

I laughed and he laid his other hand on mine and actually kissed my hand.

"Freedom! Sweet freedom!"

"Guess it was your lucky day after all," I said with a chuckle.

"I'm tired of cards. How about bowling!"

"Oh, that is my game! I warn you, I am the champion bowler at the genie bowling league."

"Well…I was winner of my bowling centers tournament. So I say were an even match Genie man."

"Oh-ho, better not cry when you lose."

"Same to you!"

We laughed and we spent the remaining waiting time bowling. In the end we tied.


	11. Fights

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin; TV series, movies, musical, or the original story. I only own Sid and any other characters and backstories I create.**

**A/N: Sorry about the crappy links guys fanfiction keeps blocking them out. Go to Deviant art . com and look up Tim Burton Fanf 01 without the spaces and you'll find my account with the cover and Sid's princess garb on it. To see the show I used primarily for the story go to you tube and look up (Full Show) Aladdin a Musical Spectacular June 2013. It has the yellow Agrabah market place as the cover for it.**

We were still dressed in bowling gear when Al, with noodle arms and wobbly legs, came skipping into the room with a grin on his face. He didn't seem to notice the bowling alley or our clothing but Genie quickly poofed the alley and all its gear away leaving the throne room as it was.

"Heeeeeey," I said in the most teasing girly voice I could manage.

"Hey, Papichulo!"

I laughed and glanced at Genie then looked back at Al who was waving his arm at Genie's compliment.

"So I take it things went well," I asked with a knowing grin.

Al touched his lips and sighed almost dreamily, "She's PERFECT!"

"Yeah! Playa," Genie said waving his hand in front of his mouth.

"Hey! Buddy, bud! Can we give you guys a cool nickname now," Genie asked waving his head excitedly, "Like Brangelina!"

Genie laid a finger on his blue lips for a second then quick as lightning shouted, "I got it! I got it. Jazalamadanamin."

I shook my head pursing my lips keeping in the giggles while Genie fist pumped the air.

Al was smiling joyously and he glanced back at me and I took the opportunity to ask him how it went.

"So, how did it go?"

"Oh, it was amazing!"

Then Al went on a rant about his night and the carpet ride, which I looked for Carpet and she was still draped tiredly over the window sill making me giggle, and how the kiss had been so perfect. Genie and I listened quietly though we stole a few glances at each other sharing smirks of boredom but amusement. When Al finished he sighed happily and bit his lip.

"Sounds like it was fun. Man, you've got it BAD!"

"Are you kidding? She's got him hook line and sinker!"

I laughed and shook my head agreeing with Genie's statement.

"Are you guys making fun of me," Al asked with crossed arms and a happy smirk.

"No…. Of course not…."

I flicker my eyes around inconspicuously.

"I'm happy for you, Al. My little brother growing up," I said forcing fake tears to my eyes.

"Oh no! No, no. No tears, sis."

"I can't help it! Just yesterday you were my little boy and now…..she's taking you away," I faked sobbed and grabbed Al in a hug.

Genie tapped my shoulder and held out a box of tissues.

"Thank you…I'm just so emotional," I dabbed my eyes and grinned at Al and lightly punched his shoulder.

Genie looked at a watched that had magically appeared on his wrist and it rung loudly like big ben.

"It's midnight on the dot. I think I'm gonna turn in, need to keep up this image."

"Okay. I'll rub if I need anything."

Genie nodded and yawned and poofed into a puff of smoke that was sucked into the lamp. I tucked the lamp higher on my band and motioned for Al to follow me.

"I know where our room is."

Al and I walked continuing to talk about his wonderful night. I filled Al in on what Genie and I did to pass the time. He looked very much confused but he nodded politely but I could tell his mind was still stuck in la la land.

"You'd better get lots of sleep. The wedding will probably be tomorrow."

Al rolled his eyes at me but his face was tinged pink.

"What a long day. I admit Al, I was a little worried about this whole Prince Ali scheme but it seems to be working out perfectly."

"Yeah, good thing we still got Genie. When you use your last wish you can just give the lamp to me and we got another three wishes."

I frowned and turned to Al on my bed.

"Al…you won't be able to get three more wishes after I use my last one."

Al froze and slowly turned to me with a nervous smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm gonna use my last wish to set Genie free."

"What?"

I didn't exactly detect the nervous disbelief in Al's voice and all I really heard was a 'I didn't hear what you said' tone in his voice.

"I'm gonna use my last wish to set him free."

"When did you say this?"

Shocked by Al's desperation and nervousness I blinked a few times and looked away for a second then looked back at Al.

"While you were gone I told Genie I'd wish for his freedom."

"Why did you do that?!"

I leaned back disturbed at Al's almost angry tone and I shrugged and my face tightened with my own confusion, "I thought it would be a nice way of saying thank you for all he's done."

"Why? Why would you say that? Did you promise," Al asked as a desperate last resort.

"Yes. He made me."

Al groaned and sunk his head in his hands.

"Al, what is the big deal? Why are freaking out?"

"Why am I freaking out? Why am I freaking out?! I'll tell you why I'm freaking out! How are we supposed to keep up the royalty act without Genie?"

I kept my mouth snapped shut and glanced around trying to think of an answer. I couldn't and I shrugged.

"Exactly! Jasmine will find out were a fraud! She'll leave me!"

"That's not true Al," I said sweetly.

"Stop it!"

I leaned back almost hurt by Al's harsh tone.

"She thinks I'm Prince Ali! She's in love with Prince Ali! When she finds out I'm nothing but a street rats she'll laugh and throw us out! I can't let that happen… Sid. You have to use that last wish."

No it was my turn to be disbelieving.

"What?"

"I can't lose Jasmine. Please, I'm begging you!"

I sat there disturbed how Al sounded so foreign to me. This wasn't Al at all.

"Al, you know I can't do that."

Al looked up at me heaving and flustered and very much desperate.

"I promised Genie. You know that I don't break promises."

Al's face turned red and he clamped his teeth together.

"How could you do this to me?! Your my sister not his!"

"Al! Calm down!"

"No! I'm gonna lose Jasmine and were going to be back on the streets and it's all your fault!"

"_MY FAULT," _I shrieked causing Al to fall backwards in shock.

"_You're _the one that wanted this wish! You're the one that got yourself into this mess. I only did what you asked me to do. I used _my _wish to turn you into a prince. I could have wished for anything, but I didn't. Because I love you and your happiness means more to me than money or objects. Don't you tell me that it's my fault! I've only done everything you wanted me to! You're the one who thought that Jasmine would love Prince Ali over Aladdin. Not me. This is your problem not mine! I can handle going back on the streets but I can't handle being disrespected and blamed by my own brother."

I stormed for the door and turned back with a glare at my brother, "I have always been proud of you. I have always trusted you. But you know what Al, this prince wish has gone to your head. For the first time…I'm ashamed of you. When my Al comes back give me a call. Until then _Prince Ali," _I said giving a mocking bow, "deal with your own problems."

I stormed out of the room fuming and muttering angrily under my breath walking to somewhere far, far away from our chambers. It was awhile before my anger had lowered enough for me to think. I was so mad at Al. I had probably had a blood pressure level that was not healthy when the incident happened. I had been so mad… How dare Al accuse me of being responsible for the mess he had gotten himself into. It wasn't my fault. My trek led me to the palace fountain in the garden and I sat on the rim and dipped my hand into the water letting the colorful fish nudge and nibble at my fingers.

When my heart rate had calmed and my anger had blown over enough for me to think I thought long and hard at the pickle I was in. I had a choice. I could free Genie and do what was right or I could tell him that I had to break our deal for Al's sake. No, for the stories sake. I could wreck the whole time space if I set Genie free. Knowing that didn't make it any easier. I had grown a fond feeling for Genie. He had done nothing but been kind and giving. It would be heart wrenching and guilt inducing to watch his face fall and see betrayal on his face. No, I couldn't do it. He was my friend! Friends don't lie. But Al…Al was family and family comes first. But Al was wrong! He was lying to Jasmine. But he was desperate because he loved her and didn't want to lose her.

I threw my head into my hands and let out a hopeless groan. God, I hated being shoved into the middle of a predicament like this. How was I supposed to choose between my brother telling lies or a friend that giving freedom to might just destroy the universe. My head pounded and anxiety weighed on my chest making it hard for me to breathe. How was I supposed to do this? I sat there silently holding back tears of frustration and stress as I kept thinking about this huge mess. Taking a shaky and frightened breath I reached for the lamp…then dropped it at my side. I couldn't do it so soon. I needed more time to think and prepare.

I paced around the palace until the next morning and then I waited until around eight o'clock to finally work up the courage to talk to Genie. But every time I lifted the lamp to rub I chickened out and dropped it again and continued to pace. At around ten after hours and hours of anxiety attacks, the occasional tear, and sighs Genie came out of his lamp. He gave out and over the top yawn and stretched cracking several bones and flexing his muscles. He took a deep breath then exhaled with a happy sigh.

"Ah. Beautiful day."

He glanced over at me, I noticed through my peripheral vision, and said, "Hey you alright. You did an awful lot of walking last night."

"…."

"Did you get any sleep?"

"No. Al and I…we had a…disagreement on something."

"Oh. Well, how about I make you some breakfast? That ought to cheer you up."

I shook my head violently and shouted turning him, "No."

Genie looked at me strangely confused and I looked away finding eye contact with a person I had been getting along with so easily before, extremely difficult.

"You've done so much already. You don't need to trouble yourself," I said softly.

Genie said nothing for a while then answered in a still cheery voice though it was edging towards slight suspicion that something was troubling me and replied, "It wouldn't trouble me at all. But if you're not hungry-

"I'm not."

Genie shrugged and went to sit next to me. We were back in the throne room sitting on a window sill.

"Genie," I muttered standing up and walking a few feet away from him my back facing him, "I…we need to talk about something really important."

Genie slapped his knees behind me and leisurely said, "Whatever."

I clenched my eyes shut in emotional pain but forced them to open again. My arms were crossed painfully tight over my chest and my breath was shaky.

"Al loves Jasmine. A lot. Everything's…going perfect for them."

"That's awesome!"

My heart fell and my stomach clenched at his excitement.

"If he likes her and she likes him! Ha! That means it's time for my wish! My wish, my wish, MY WISH!"

I slowly swiveled around and looked up at Genie and gulped at the wide grin of excitement he wore.

"Is it," I asked attempting to be comedic but it came out confused and very much hopeful. For the wrong reason.

"What you talkin' 'bout Sid? Hun. I freed you and Al from the cave; wish number one. I turned you and lover boy into Rico, suave, royalty; wish number two. Now all that's left is wish number three! And that means genie freeing time! So come on baby! Hook a brother up!"

I took a glance at Genie doing a happy shuffle next to me pointing his thumbs at himself and my heart sunk out of my feet into the floor.

"Genie…Jasmine thinks that Al is this. Important, royal, prince."

"Yeah."

"How…h-how are me and Al going to keep this charade up without you around," I asked sadly.

"Oooh. I don't know," and he went back to his jig.

I clenched my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. This was it. What I said now would affect everything.

"Genie! I'm…so sorry," I nearly sobbed.

"What," Genie asked only slightly confused.

"Al needs the last wish! I'm sorry."

Genie stopped and I glanced at him with and expression of pure anxiety. He pointed at me with a slight hopeful smile but besides that he looked utterly disheartened.

"You said you were gonna give me the final wish. Huh?"

Genie said waving his arms between us then holding out his arms with one last hopeful grin. I looked away and turned my back on him unable to make contact any longer.

"Hey! You said! Hey?"

I glanced back to see utter disappointment, sadness, and betrayal on his normally happy face. All I could do was stare trapped within his expression of betrayal, unable to look away with the guilt of what I had just denied him.

"Oh. Oh…I see….fine."

I turned away from him and swallowed a giant lump of emotion that brought stinging tears to my eyes. His voice had been so cold and angry. I never wanted to hear it that way, ever. I looked down at the lamp awkwardly tracing the designs on it.

"Okay, fine, whatever. Whatever, I understand…"

I looked over at Genie with eyes that I hoped he could see all the apology and torment doing this to him brought me, in.

"You are just like all the rest."

"Genie-

"No! I don't even know why I let myself get all excited," Genie said holding up his fisted hands.

"About you," genie said waving his arm at me.

"You know somethin' Sid. You know something? You really came off as a nice girl and I really thought you were the kind of girl that would actually KEEP! Her promises!"

Tears I couldn't keep bottled any longer fell down my cheeks and I rushed forward.

"Genie please!"

Genie held a finger to my face and rambled out sounds to cover my voice.

"I'm so sorry please!"

"Rarararara!"

"Genie, let me explain!"

"Oh Genie, dur-dur-dur-dur," He said mockingly.

"Genie," I all but wailed.

"Uh-uh! You can talk to my left hand because you ain't right."

Genie waved his hands then rolled his head on his neck and turned to my red tear stained face.

"Did you get that?"

"Gen-

"So don't you worry about me _master," _genie said giving a mock bow, "I'll be fine," he said sarcastically.

I was nearly sobbing now and I was shaking my head desperately but Genie paid me no mind.

"So if you need me, you'll know where I'll be. Trapped! Inside my sardine can! Somebody, call my mama," Genie said holding a hand to his eye.

He turned into a puff of smoke and I was dragged over to it and it disappeared into the lamp.

"No! Genie! Please!"

I fell to my knees and stared at the lamp.

"You have to understand my position here…"

I broke down and sagged my head and sobbed. That had turned out just great. Now my brother and the only other friend in the world I had, except maybe Carpet, both hated me. Could this day get any worse? I heard footsteps and I snapped my head up to look at a sad and confused Carpet.

"Are you mad at me to?"

She didn't answer but just stood there.

"You should be. Oh Carpet…I've messed everything up."

I broke down into sobs again and Carpet didn't say anything, she couldn't say anything after all, but she didn't storm out. She stood next to me and patted my head with her tassels. I looked up at her and she had her head turned looking at something standing in the far doorway. I followed her gaze and stared at a shocked and guilty Al. He didn't look at all happy I did what he wanted.

"I hope your happy now," I said completely emotionless except for sadness and moved to leave.

"Sid…I didn't mean….I didn't want it to be this way. I'm sorry."

It was my Al. I could hear the guilt and sorrow in his voice as he stared at my sobbing face. I looked up at him and a few more tears fell down my cheeks. I placed Genie's lamp down on the floor and stood up.

I almost said something but I couldn't. I just coughed out a sob and shook my head and spun around to flee the room.

"Seize them."

My eyes snapped open as Jafar with perched on his shoulder laughed and sent that guards at us. Previous sadness forgotten for the moment I cursed myself. How could I have forgotten about Jafar! How big of an idiot was I? This day was turning out to be the worst day of my life.


	12. Final Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin; the TV series, movies, musical, or original story. I only own Sid or any characters I make up.**

Flipping the logical thinking button back on in my brain I ran for the lamp that I had in a genius move left in the middle of the floor unattended. I tried to pull a baseball slide over to the lamp but the annoying Iago swooped down and grabbed the lamp just before I could brush my fingers on it. I took a flying leap at the bird and he only cackled at my failed attempt and dropped the lamp into Jafar's slimy paws and perched again on his shoulder. When I tried to run at Jafar the guard shackled my wrist in iron manacles with a short chain and tossed me onto the ground pointing their spears at me warningly lest I try to run. Al was soon shackled as well and he joined me on the ground.

"Bring me the sultan," Jafar commanded the guards then turned to Iago, "At last, the kingdom shall be mine."

He gave an evil laugh and rubbed the lamp. Smoke billowed out of the lamps nozzle and the sound of a running shower filled the throne room. Genie stood from the smoke…soaking wet and scrubbing his armpit. I blushed. I did. His entire chest was covered in water somehow drawing attention to muscles that I had had not taken notice of before. I had somehow glanced over the fact that Genie was really rather muscular in the chest and arms. Genie himself didn't seem to notice that he had a new master and continued to scrub while singing.

"Lucky bird inside a gilded cage. Blah, blah, blah. Look Sid, if you have come here to apologize. You are too late."

He slapped the scrub brush into his palm then quickly added, "But…as long as you're here, could you scrub my left shoulder blade for me? You know I just get so cramped in here," Genie turned to take the lamp from Jafar and stared open mouthed," I-I-I-I-AH! A man!"

His lips made an o and he used the lamp to cover his front while his arm draped over his pecks. I gave a forced giggle then cocked my head to glare at Jafar.

"I believe you owe me three wishes?"

Genie shook his head so violently his lips and curled tuff of hair and beard shook.

"Don't do it Genie," Al yelled.

"I'm sorry Al I've got no choice," Genie said pointing to his lamp and shaking his head sadly turning to Carpet who was sitting on her belly a few feet away from him.

"He who holds the lamp controls the Genie. How do you like that! Lover boy."

I swung my arms wildly and managed to hit the stupid parrot and he went flying.

"Let us go," Jasmine yelled as the guards tossed her and her father to the ground.

"How dare you treat the sultan this way!"

"Jafar," The Sultan cried in outrage.

"He's hypnotized our palace guards."

"Jasmine, I hate to tell you this but we've got problems ten times bigger than the _palace guards_," I spat dismally.

"What do you mean?"

"Everybody who's got three wishes coming to them raises their hands," Jafar said striding over to Al and me.

He raised his hands and Carpet and Genie hung their heads.

"Whoops. Guess that it's only me. Genie," Genie shot up and scurried over to Jafar, "My first wish is to rule the kingdom. Make me, the sultan."

Genie groaned then waved his hands sparks flying then touched the top of his head simply.

"Poof. You're the sultan."

Genie waved his finger around mocking serious celebration then turned to Jafar. He covered his mouth hiding his gleeful smile then tapped Jafar on his shoulder pad.

"Hey. You know what? You now what? If your last name was peppershaker…."

I snorted out a laugh and Genie leaned around Jafar to point at me and with a grin, then leaned back.

"You'd be sultan peppershaker!"

Genie laughed, Carpet laughed behind them, and I laughed letting my hands fall into my lap as I sat on my backside on the tile floor and bent my legs for more comfort. Genie turned to Jafar and stopped laughing at the sour look in the power hungry man's face. But that didn't stop Genie from smiling. He looked down over Jafar's outfit mainly his cape then said, "This is cool. I like this. Is this Abercrombie?"

Jafar snarled and snatched his cape out of Genie's grip.

"They don't want ugly people wearing their clothes you know."

"Oooh, h-h-hooo," I laughed and Genie looked over at me with a grin.

"#scary face."

I laughed even harder.

I knew that after this everything would be alright between us. The incident was over and we could forget about it now. I just wanted to enjoy some Genie comedy to wash the earlier guilt and depression away.

"When he looks in the mirror his reflection ducks."

Genie looked straight at me and I laughed hard.

"His birth certificate is an apology letter," Genie said as if he was holding a document.

I slapped my knee laughing then put a fist in front of my mouth.

"Burn!"

Genie pointed to me, "You know it!"

Genie and I continued to laugh but when Genie saw the annoyed look on Jafar's face that I honestly think could have curdled milk he held a finger up to his mouth to tell me to stop. But I couldn't, I was laughing too hard. He lowered his hand, I still didn't. He did a cut off motion at his neck and I still didn't. He tilted his head, dropped his shoulders and arms and gave me a 'seriously' look.

"Seriously, Sid, do not make him angry. I can't take her anywhere."

Genie pursed his lips looking away from Jafar his lips pushed out in a way that reminded me of what I did when I grimaced purposely over the top. Jafar stared at him in a disgusted way and Genie looked at me and raised a hand.

"Is he looking at me?"

I nodded my head with a chuckle.

"Is he smiling."

I shook my head with a face that said, 'Bitch please.'

Genie blinked a few times and gave a grimace.

"Are we done yet?"

"No," Jafar roared startling Genie who jumped, "We're just getting started."

Genie groaned again and slapped his lamp in his palm heavily shaking his head.

"But…perhaps being sultan isn't enough."

Startled Genie turned to him leaning slightly forward with his complete attention.

"For my second wish I want you." Jafar said stretching an arm out that made genie bend back then pulled his arm back up pulling Genie in effect. Genie looked at his arms slightly confused then looked back up, "To make me the most powerful sorcery on earth."

Genie looked utterly bored and tired. Probably seen these guy a million times before I imagine with all the power hungry jerks there are in the world. He waved his arms and this time serious smoke and sparks came out of his hand. So many in fact he pulled his hand back as if his own magic had burned him and blew on his hands while Carpet waved her tassels on it. Jafar lifted his snake staff and the eyes sparked red and Jasmine was pulled from the sultans grasp into his arms. To say she looked disgusted would be an understatement. She was leaning back in an uncomfortable way in an attempt to stay as far away from him as possible and her face was set in a disturbed and uncomfortable scowl.

"How do you like you sultan now, my desert blossom," Jafar purred shaking Jasmine slightly.

"Together we will be unstoppable!"

Jafar leaned down as if to kiss her right above her breast and Al leaped to his feet in outrage.

"Get Offa her! She doesn't love you and she never will!"

Jasmine took this opportunity to run over to her father. Genie next to carpet flexed his bicep and nodded his head but stepped forward with his arm held out when Jafar sent Al flying with his snake staff.

Rage built in me and I charged at Jafar.

"How dare you hurt my brother!"

I grabbed his snake staff and nearly wretched it from his hands. I landed a hard blow on his middle but he swung his staff and it connected with the side of my head. My vision went cloudy and my body hit the unforgiving stone floor hard. I looked up holding the side of my head and stared down at my hand and found blood was the wet sticky substance on it.

I spat at his feet and wiped my mouth. Al rushed to my side and grabbed my shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you?"

"Stay out of this! This does not concern you street rats!"

Jasmine who had been rushing for us stopped in her tracks.

"Street rats? But…I thought that you were Prince Ali."

Al shook his head sadly and replied, "I meant to tell you sooner or later."

I snuck a glance at Genie and I found that he was looking at me with anger and guilt. But as he swiveled his head towards Jafar I realized he was angry at Jafar not at me or Al. He must have been guilty because he was the one that gave Jafar the power to hurt us but I couldn't blame him. He had no choice. The music for Prince Ali reprise started up and I felt distaste and anger bubbling up inside of me. The sooner we could get rid of Jafar the better. The guy was already annoying the crap out of me.

"_The Ali's, yes it is he, but not as you know them," _Jafar sang pulling Jasmine from her crouching position and Iago flew in and snatched Al's hat and he ran after him.

"_Read my lips and come to grips with reality. Yes meet two blasts from your past, whose lies were too good to last. Say hello to your precious Prince Ali!"_

Jasmine stared at Aladdin as if he was now a stranger and he moved to go to her side and she turned her back on him. Genie waved at her but upon seeing Jafar hid his lamp behind his back lest Jafar think he was trying to get Jasmine to rub the lamp. Jasmine ran away from Jafar's hand that moved to touch her and into the arms of her father.

"_So the Ali's turn out to be Sid and Aladdin. Just a con, need I go on take it from me. Their personalities flaws give me antiquate cause. To send them packing on a one way trip, to their prospects take a terminal dip! Their assets frozen, their venue chosen to the ends of the earth whoopee! So long! Ex Prince Ali!"_

During Jafar's number the guards had slipped their spears into our shackles lifting Al's and my hands above our heads. We were trapped. I glanced over at Jasmine she was in the embrace of her father. I glanced over at Genie who was slouched over his head in his hand. And Carpet was waving her head sadly her tassels at her eyes.

"Ah, give it a rest foot face! We all know that you're nothing but a cowardly snake hiding behind a few magic tricks," I spat scowling at Jafar.

Jafar turned to me and gave me a smirk that made my stomach churn.

"Snake, am I? I must show you how much of a snake I really am. After all, what better way to eliminate a couple of street rats!"

Jafar lifted his staff and he disappeared. Jasmine ventured out of her father's arms as did Genie, but not out of the sultans arms that would be weird, to look around. The guards had let us go and we were rubbing our sore wrist. After that I learned just how Genie felt carrying around those heavy gold manacles. Genie and Jasmine walked side by side and I heard Jasmine ask him, "Where'd he go?"

Genie shrugged but held up his hand when a giant snake emerged seemingly out of thin air rising all the way to the palace's ceiling. Jasmine shrieked and ran back behind her father, not as brave as in the movie but I give her a pass because it was a giant snake, Al and I looked up at the monstrous reptile Jafar had become.

"You're done for now street rats. Time to bid this world goodbye!"

"Let 'em have it boss!"

I turned to Iago and held up my fist in annoyance. Al tried going to Jasmine but the guards were blocking the sultan and Jasmine off with their spears. He went to Genie and he did nothing but hold up his lamp, expressing his inability to do anything but stand there like an obedient dog, and cringe. Al turned to me looking for help. I looked at Al telling him through my face that he needed to do this himself but I could see that he was honestly stumped and desperate. So I took a heavy breathe and looked back at the giant hissing cobra.

"They are no match for the most powerful sorcerer on the planet!"

"Hey! Rat breath! Didn't you hear what I said before?"

Jafar looked down at me with reptilian red eyes hissing dangerously and I merely smirked back. On the inside I admit my heart was pounding crazily in my chest and my fear was mounting but I was confident that it would turn out okay. Everything else so far had.

"You are nothing but a coward hiding behind magic. Genie is the only one in this room with any real power," I said pointing to Genie with a scoffing smile directed at Jafar.

"What are you doing," Jasmine asked me and I waved her off to focused on my task to pay her a response.

"He gave you your oh so invincible power and he can take it away in the snap of his fingers. Face it dude. Your second rate!"

"The girl's right! For my third and final wish. I wish to be an all-powerful genie!"

Genie rushed forward then looked over at me with a glare that I almost detected some happiness in.

"Great job Sid! Now you've done it! Expecto potronum."

Sparks blue and red flew from Genie's fingers and he slowly stepped away as Jafar transformed from the towering snake into a towering genie. His skin was a hellish red, his turban was still perched on his head, he was shirtless, and his legs were a violently swirling tornado of smoke.

"Yes! Yes! I can feel the power coursing in my veins!"

I ran over to Genie and plucked his lamp from his grasp and held it up to Jafar's smoke tail. Almost instantaneously the lamp heated up again and began sucking Jafar in. The more the lamp sucked in the larger the black stain spread over Genie's beautiful golden lamp. When Jafar was at last trapped I slammed the lamp onto the marble floor and have a heavy sigh.

"There! It is done!"

I stood up and walked over to my brother, "Well done bro, couldn't have done it better if I had come up with it myself."

I winked at him and he smiled graciously.

"Well without you my plan never would have worked," Al replied and I hugged him.

I turned back remembering the lamp and once I picked it up it was super-hot, no doubt reflecting the anger of Jafar, and I held it to my ear and I could faintly hear Jafar's anger cried of defeat and I grinned.

"Genie? Would you be a dear and dispose of this," I asked walking up to him, "I'll get you a new one," I whispered it in his ears.

Genie reached over to take it but I held it back, "Wait! Just a second!"

"Hey big head in there? Maybe if you used your brain more than your ego you wouldn't be in this situation. If you had you would have realized that when you're a Genie you got unlimited power but no freedom."

Genie glared down at his manacles and I tapped the lamp on his shoulder and smiled up at him.

"Isn't that right buddy?"

"Gee," Genie trailed off staring at his poisoned lamp, "Sid…Al," Genie said giving a smile and an eyebrow at Al who waved back with an equally large grin, "You're geniuses!"

"Ten thousand years in the cave of wonders ought to chill him out! Hey! Jafar! Here's my impression of an earthquake!"

Genie shook the lamp and I laughed.

"How's that for a California Adventure?"

Genie took a firm stance then launched the lamp out of a window and it flew off farther and farther until I couldn't see it at all.

"Well…now it's time for the Tiki room reject."

Genie stuck his fist on his hips and I turned to see that little pipsqueak trying to tip toe his way out.

"Who me?"

"Yeah…" I said nodded with wide crazy eyes, "You."

Iago took to the air and cackled, "You know. I am so glad that _we _got rid of that Jafar character. So much negative energy if you know what I mean," Iago said in a slimy charming voice at Genie.

"I do," Genie said with a hard face crossing his arms over his chest.

Iago cackled again and flew over Genie's head to which he ducked and put his hands up to. The Iago rubbed his head like a cat against Genie's arm and to top it off purred.

"You see _buddy, _I'm a good guy now! I'm a-a-a whole new bird."

Iago turned to Genie and Genie looked at Iago. I had been sneaking up around the rear until I was behind Iago and Iago was so busy trying to weasel his way out of being punished that he didn't notice me. Genie looked over at me and gave me a quick eyebrow lift and a smirk.

"Two words."

"Yeah."

"Chicken Nuggets."

I grabbed Iago by the neck and he flailed his wings at my hands. I took a baseball player stance and launched Iago as far as my arm allowed and Genie pulled an invisible arrow and shot him as he flew out the window. An audible ow was heard and feathers fell out of the window. Genie clapped his fingers and pointed at Carpet and I and the three of his did a group hug. Then I ran from Carpet and Genie and wrapped Al in a hug.

"I suppose we owe our thanks to you the two of you."

"Father," Jasmine said taking her father's hands in hers, "I think I have finally decided upon a suitor."

I gently pushed Al forward and watched with a smile as Al slowly stepped towards Jasmine.

"But you know the truth now. Me," then al turned to me, "and my sister are no royals."

I shrugged, "Maybe we're royalty in another life who knows."

Jasmine walked up in front of Al and smiled, "You and her are much better. True of heart and noble of spirit."

Jasmine glance back at me and I could feel an unsaid respect between us and I nodded my head at Jasmine. Jasmine held out her hand for Al's and he hesitantly took it with a happy smile.

"I agree! And besides, who am I to argue with true love."

He hugged his daughter again and a sob from over a few feet away tore my gaze away from the happy scene. Genie was dabbing his eyes with Carpet nodding and dabbing her eyes next to him.

"Oh…Jazalamadanamin! I-I can't believe it the same thing happened in the movie."

I nodded with a smile and grinned at Genie. Jasmine had come over and taken my hand and led me over to the sultan and Al and we were standing with our arms over each other's shoulders in a comfortable embrace. I have to admit it felt very nice. Like a family hug. Our family.

"Oh! And we have to get ready for the wedding! We'll have a big wedding! Like on game of thrones! But with a much happier ending."

I rushed forward to stand in front of him and asked hopefully, "Do I still have one more wish Genie."

Genie tapped my nose and grinned, "Of course. It's a wedding present from both of us what'll it be."

I grinned and said with the upmost happiness, "I wish for your freedom Genie."

I nearly yelled it out as if I wanted all of Agrabah to hear and held my arms out.

"Whoa! Really? Really you mean that?"

Grinning I held up my pinkie and he hooked his blue pinkie on my pink one.

He put his hand on mine grinning with the upmost happiness.

"Sid…you kept your promise. I'm finally free!"

I looked on in amazement as the shackles turned to nothing but air and left his wrist bare. It was strange but knowing of the weight that was lifted off my friend I could get used to bare wrists.

"I told you," I said with a chuckle Genie turning to me with a grin that threatened to rip the muscles in his face, "I never break a promise. Sorry….sorry about the earlier thing back there… I hope you can forgive me."

Genie scooped me into a hug yelling, "Of course I do! You set me free!"

Genie set me down and grinned at me his eyes sparkling, "Thank you Sid. I am off to see the world!"

He ran off towards Carpet that stood a little ways away ready for Genie then ran back.

"Why don't you come with us, huh? It'll be fun! We'll eat foreign foods, go shopping, see all the wonders of the world," Genie said holding up a postcard that flipped open showing pictures of various locations, poofing up food from around the world, then poofing up various culture clothes onto me.

I turned to Al, Jasmine, and the Sultan and Al nodded his head urging me on.

"That sounds awesome! But…I can't leave now. I'm just getting things to go right you know."

Genie smiled and tucked the postcard into his pocket and poofed all the other stuff away.

"Sounds good," Genie said laying a hand on my shoulder, "Oh come here!"

I laughed and gave Genie another bear hug. Everything had turned out alright. I was surprised. I thought about how wonderful it was to finally have everything turning out right in my life and I leaned back out of the hug. I wanted to thank Genie in the highest way I could. Without him none of this would have happened. I leaned up and pressed my lips on his cheek. It was a peck really but I made it as sweet as possibly. Genie looked at me shocked and rubbed his cheek.

"Thank you for everything Genie. Bring me something back from your travels okay?"

"You betcha."

Genie ran over to Carpet and the two ran for the window.

"Yo, fly girl, lend me some tassel. We're going to Disneyland!"

"Genie!"

The two stopped and I ran towards them.

"Don't think I forgot about you rug girl."

Carpet smiled happily and I gave her a big tender hug.

"I'm gonna miss you too. When you get back we can try out some cool new daredevil riding moves I've been think about, how about that?"

Carpet grinned and nodded her head. I stepped back and saluted the two of them.

"Fly safe and don't be gone too long!"

Then Genie and Carpet flew out the window and flew and flew until they were a tiny speck on a bright blue sky.

I waved until they were a speck then dropped my hand the happiness washing off into slight sadness at seeing them go. I hand lightly rested on my shoulder and I turned to the sultan who was smiling kindly at me.

"Yes your highness?"

"You're Genie isn't the only one facing a bright new future, my dear. You and your brother will now live here in my palace and be treated as nothing but royalty."

I patted the sultans hand and smiled, "I like the sound of that very much your majesty."

I glanced at Al and he was grinning and we both shared the same thought. Our lives were finally starting to go right.


End file.
